Aydogan Kalabalik
22 September 2023•Update: 22 September 2023
AL MARJ, Libya
Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya and caused severe loss of life and damage to land and property in the regions from Derna to Benghazi. The extensive fall of rain caused the collapse of two dams, which added to the flooding and created havoc in nearby cities on a larger scale.
Anadolu correspondents visited various cities, including Derna, Bayda, Suse, Al Marj and Benghazi. The loss of life and damage to property and land was the most in Suse because the city is surrounded by mountains and deep valleys, creating limited access while some roads were closed for traffic.
Mayor of Suse, Wail Barik, confirmed in his statement on Sept. 11 that 50 families were missing.
22 villagers were lost in a flood
In the village of Wardiye, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Bayda in the Jabal Al Akhdar region, 22 out of 200 residents died.
A villager named Abdulwaheed Farjani told Anadolu his experience of escaping the flood, narrating the moments the flood swept away his father-in-law, brother, his brother’s wife and child. He added that he has not heard from them since “We were able to find the bodies of only seven of the 22 people who were swept away by the flood waters. There are also Egyptian and Sudanese families among the missing.”
The body of a two-month-old baby found four days after the flood
A resident of the Wardiye village, Ayman Mohammad, told his account of the disaster, saying, “We found the body of a two-month-old baby in the bushes accumulated under the tree over there, four days after the flood. A family lived next door, but there is no news about them either.”
Houses, roads and agricultural land in the regions between Al Marj and Benghazi city are still flooded, with water levels remaining the same. Aid organizations continue to campaign for humanitarian aid in Triplo, where the supplies are gathered and organized before being sent to Derna.
Flood disaster in Libya
Storm “Daniel” created havoc in the Central Mediterranean and hit the east of Libya on Sept. 10, causing floods in Benghazi, Bayda, Al Marj, Suse and Derna.
Prime Minister of the National Unity Government, Abdulhamid Dbeibeh, declared a three-day mourning on Sept. 11 after the flooding, and the Libyan Presidential Council called for humanitarian assistance from brother countries and international institutions.
On Wednesday, World Health Organization (WHO) Spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic attended the weekly press conference of the UN Geneva Office online and confirmed that 3,998 people lost their lives in the flood in Libya and 8,000 to 9,000 people are still missing.
