In Libya there are fears of a possible outbreak of the gastrointestinal disease cholera after serious flooding. In the hard-hit coastal town of Darna, groundwater is apparently contaminated by corpses, animal carcasses, waste and chemicals. Dozens of children have already become ill as a result.
According to the newspaper “Arab News”, the Ministry of Health in Tripoli warned of a contamination with the dangerous bacteria. “We urge people not to go near the wells in Darna,” Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Arabi said.
The country, torn by civil war, is effectively divided; In addition to the government in Tripoli, there is a second government in the east of the country. The two camps are enemies and sometimes provide conflicting information about the disaster situation in the North African country.
Coastal town of Darna in ruins
The priority for relief operations in Libya is now “shelter, food and essential basic medical care due to concerns about cholera and concerns about the lack of clean water,” UN Emergency Response Coordinator Martin Griffiths said in Geneva. The focus was mainly on the eastern coastal town of Darna.
“We are trying to prevent a second disaster there. “It is crucial to prevent a health crisis and provide shelter, clean water and food,” Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the United Nations Humanitarian Office, told the BBC.
Wastewater mixed with drinking water
According to the head of the National Center for Disease Control, Haider al-Sajih, drinking water was mixed with sewage in Darna. 55 children were sick. They came from families displaced by the floods, the official told Al-Wasat news site on Friday.
On Friday, a plane carrying medical equipment and food left the western capital Tripoli. Containers of medicine have also been sent to the east, according to the local Ministry of Health.
Rescue workers continued to search for victims under the rubble, on the coast and in the sea. Aid supplies were also sent to Libya by land and sea from neighboring Egypt. Large inscriptions on the trucks read: “From the people of Egypt to the people of Libya.”
Bodies often remain unidentified
Meanwhile, a member of a military-medical convoy in Darna, Hisham al-Malti, described the overall situation as catastrophic. The rescue was accelerated by the arrival of international helpers. Nevertheless, the bodies would decompose quickly after the days that had already passed since the floods.
Because the deceased are buried quickly, the identification of the victims is omitted, making it difficult to arrive at a conclusive and reliable death toll.
Until Friday, there was still conflicting information about the number of deaths. There are fears of 20,000 deaths in hard-hit Darna. Rescue teams also face enormous logistical challenges as they race against the clock and try to find survivors.
Source: Krone
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