Eastern Libya is still suffering from the effects of the devastating hurricane Daniel, especially the city of Derna on the Mediterranean coast, which received the bulk of the storm's sweep, as the floods caused by the hurricane destroyed about a quarter of the city and washed away multi-storey buildings with families sleeping inside.

Edited by| Christian Megan

Middle East  section -  CJ journalist

Derna - - September,13,2023

The sea is still dumping bodies ashore in eastern Libya, adding to the death toll of the storm, which completely destroyed entire neighborhoods on the coast, with confirmed figures of thousands killed and thousands more considered missing.

The UN's International Organization for Migration said today that at least 30 thousand people were displaced after floods swept through the Libyan city of Derna, leaving thousands dead, according to the authorities.

She explained in a report on the situation in eastern Libya after it was hit by storm Daniel on Sunday night that "at least 30 thousand people were displaced in Derna".

A video posted on social media showed the remaining parts of one of the collapsed dams 11.5 kilometers upstream in the city, where two river valleys meet, now surrounded by huge pools of water mixed with mud.

"The sea is constantly dumping dozens of bodies,"said the minister of Civil Aviation of the government of eastern Libya, Hisham Abu shakiwat.

He added that more than 5,300 bodies have been counted in the city of Derna and that the number is expected to rise significantly and may double after the city was hit by catastrophic floods.

Abu shakiwat stated that the reconstruction will cost billions of dollars. The minister asked for international assistance, saying that his country does not have the experience to deal with that disaster.

On the other hand, the International Organization for Migration in Libya reported that at least 30 thousand people were displaced in Derna due to the storm, while reports indicated that the United Nations allocated 10 million dollars to help those affected by floods and floods that swept eastern Libya.

Meanwhile, the destroyed city of Derna in eastern Libya is counting its victims on Wednesday, while the death toll from floods caused by storm "Daniel"is expected to rise further. Two dams burst there on Sunday afternoon after the storm hit, sending water flowing into the city, sweeping away buildings and any people inside.

Meanwhile, Al-Omran United Maritime and logistics services company announced on Wednesday that four major oil ports in Libya have reopened after being closed on Saturday in the wake of the storm. "The ports of Brega, Sidra and Ras Lanuf in the east of the country opened on Tuesday, while the port of Zueitina opened this morning,"she explained.

As of late Tuesday, the initial death toll issued by the Libyan authorities was at least 2,300.

Emergency services reported that more than 5,000 people were missing and about 7,000 were injured.

Tamer Ramadan, an official with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said: "the death toll is huge and could reach thousands.

On the other hand, the federation announced on Tuesday that three volunteers from the Libyan Red Crescent died while helping flood victims.

The head of the Libyan national unity government, Abdul Hamid al-Dabaiba, said at a press conference on Tuesday that his country is evaluating international aid offers to determine what is needed as necessary and to ensure coordination of rescue efforts in the wake of floods and floods.

He added that there are many offers of assistance, but his country will accept only the necessary assistance.