Thousands of people are believed to have died when a severe storm caused disastrous floods in Libya.
According to the leader of the east Libyan government, which is not recognized internationally, over 2,000 people have died and many more are missing.
According to Libya researcher Jalel Harchaoui, the death toll might exceed “several thousand” people.
On Sunday, Storm Daniel reached landfall, leading officials to proclaim a state of emergency.
During the current rescue attempts, seven Libyan army members have gone missing.
East officials declared a curfew, and schools and businesses were told to close.
Benghazi, Sousse, Derna, and Al-Marj in the east were also hit.
In addition to the increasing death toll, the Libyan Red Cross reported that at least 150 houses had been damaged.
According to Reuters, the director of the Red Crescent humanitarian network stated at least 150 people had died in Derna alone.
Two dams in Derna, which has a population of about 100,000 people, are said to have fallen, flooding much of the region and drowning several citizens.
As a result, the port was dubbed a “disaster city” by authorities.
“The missing number in the thousands, and the dead number in the thousands,” Eastern Prime Minister Osama Hamad told a Libyan television channel. Derna’s whole neighborhoods have vanished, together with their population… carried away by water.”
Misrata’s eastern sector was among those affected by severe rainfall.
Mr Hamad provided no source for his figures.
Along with places in the east, the western city of Misrata was affected by the flooding.
Unverified storm films have circulated online, with one depicting torrents of floodwater washing a man away. Drivers are caught on their car roofs in other clip.
In addition to schools and businesses, four major oil terminals were shuttered due to the storm.
While the administration in Benghazi has been dealing with issues in the country’s east, the competing, internationally recognized government in Tripoli has also been active.
On Sunday, its Prime Minister, Abdulhamid Dbeiba, said he had directed all state agencies to “immediately deal” with the damage and floods, while the United Nations in Libya said it was closely monitoring the storm and would “provide urgent relief assistance in support of response efforts at the local and national levels.”
Since 2014, Libya has been divided between two opposing administrations, following the assassination of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.
Following Storm Daniel, both governments proclaimed three days of mourning.
It attacked Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria last week, killing over a dozen individuals.
Egypt was prepared for Storm Daniel on Monday, and the nation’s meteorological organization announced in the evening that rainclouds had expanded over the country’s northwestern shore.
Climate experts have warned that global warming will cause more water to evaporate throughout the summer, resulting in more powerful storms.
