In Libya, a minimum of 5,300 individuals are presumed to have lost their lives, and over ten thousand remain unaccounted for as a result of extensive and severe flooding triggered by Storm Daniel.
Approximately one-quarter of the eastern Libyan city of Derna was completely devastated following the rupture of dams during the storm.
Emergency responders in Derna have already recovered in excess of 1,500 bodies, and authorities anticipate that the death toll will continue to climb. Additionally, it has been reported by officials that at least 145 Egyptians were among the casualties resulting from the floods.
In the meantime, some humanitarian aid has begun to arrive, including assistance from Egypt. The United States, Germany, Iran, Italy, Qatar, and Turkey have also indicated that they have dispatched or are prepared to dispatch aid.
Nonetheless, the ongoing rescue operations have been significantly hindered by Libya’s precarious political situation, given the nation’s division between two competing governments.
Storm Daniel, which had previously struck Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria the previous week, subsequently moved across the Mediterranean and made landfall in Libya on Sunday. Meteorological authorities have also issued warnings of potential rainfall and unfavorable weather conditions in parts of western Egypt.
Climate scientists have pointed to global warming as the primary driver of these catastrophic events, cautioning that increased summer evaporation is contributing to the heightened severity of storms.
