There are fears that the number of deaths in Libya’s flood zones could rise significantly. The situation is especially terrible in the port city of Darna. The mayor assumes 18,000 to 20,000 deaths. Mortuaries are already bursting at the seams. Rescue workers and medical staff are completely overwhelmed, according to an interview with a doctor on Libyan television programs. The man is at his wits’ end and bursts into tears when asked about the latest death toll.
“Our families and brothers, the number of victims is high,” the doctor explains to the camera. A reporter then asks, “How high?” Please give us a number!” In response to this question, the doctor begins to sob and turns away. A colleague runs to him and comforts the completely distraught man. The colleague hugs him for a few seconds while the reporters wait, hoping to get an answer to their question.
After a short break the doctor returns. “Are there already 10,000 victims?” a journalist wants to know. The doctor just shakes his head and says, “More, more.”
Here you can see the emotional scenes of Libyan television:
Storm “Daniel” hit the North African country on Sunday. Two dams broke near Darna and entire neighborhoods of the coastal city were washed into the sea. Streets are submerged in meters of mud and rescue teams continue to search for survivors in the rubble. But the hope of finding people alive is diminishing. Videos on social media show convoys of vehicles transporting the dead, while other images show corpses floating in the sea. Recovered victims were buried in body bags in mass graves. In other parts of the country where the civil war is raging, a state of emergency remains in effect.
Two hostile governments in Libya – one based in the east and the other in the west – are currently fighting for power. All diplomatic attempts to peacefully resolve the civil war, which continues to this day, have so far failed. Numerous parties in the conflict are fighting for influence after former ruler Muammar al-Gaddafi was violently overthrown in 2011.
Catastrophe is also related to the political situation
According to Libya expert Wolfram Lacher from the Science and Politics Foundation (SWP) in Berlin, the catastrophe in the country is also related to the political situation: “The reason for the scale of the catastrophe is the rupture of these two dams above Darna. Not enough has been invested in the infrastructure there for years. Former Libyan ruler Gaddafi “punished the city because rebels had taken up arms there.” While some money has always flowed in recent years, “some of it went into the pockets of militia leaders and war profiteers.”
According to the UN, the majority of deaths could have been prevented. The UN World Weather Organization WMO said on Thursday that a functioning warning system for the impending catastrophe and better crisis management would have been necessary. If there had been better coordination in the country, torn by years of civil war, warnings could have been issued and the population evacuated, WMO representative Petteri Taalas said.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
