Libya Floods: UN Appeals For $71 Million Aid As Death Toll Rises To 11,000

September 15, 2023
Libya Floods: UN Appeals For $71 Million Aid As Death Toll Rises To 11,000
Image credit: World Meteorological Organisation

By John Adoyi, PBA Journalism Mentee

 

The United Nations (UN) through its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on Thursday, appealed for $71 million donation for Libya flood victims.

Join our WhatsApp Channel

READ ALSO: 3,000 Dead, 10,000 Missing As Storm Daniel Batters Libya

This is as death toll from the catastrophic flood has risen to 11 thousand with many more still missing.

According to OCHA, more than 250 thousand Libyans in the city of Derna, which was worst hit, are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, and if nothing is done within the next three months to provide a remedy for the situation, the death toll could significantly double.

Rescue operation in the city of Derna in North-east Libya is still on as rescuers search through piles of debris after heavy rainfall caused by Storm Daniel ravaged the area, resulting in the bursting of two dams, which flooded the city, sweeping away homes, structures, and families.

A UN official said the huge casualty would have been avoided if proper warnings were issued.

“If there was a normal operating meteorological service, they could have issued the warnings,” World Meteorological Organisation head Petteri Taalas told reporters in Geneva. “The emergency management authorities would have been able to carry out the evacuation,” he added.

Officials in the city of Derna pegged the death toll at 5,500 people as of Thursday. However, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said another 10,100 people are still missing.

The Mayor of Derna, Abdel-Moneim al-Ghaithi, said he fears that the death toll could rise to about 20 thousand due to the number of areas affected.

Describing the situation in Derna, the head of OCHA, and UN relief chief, Martin Griffiths said: “The scale of the flood disaster is shocking, with entire neighborhoods having been wiped off the map and whole families, taken by surprise, swept away in the deluge of water.”

John Adoyi, PBA Journalism Mentee
+ posts

Featured Stories

Latest from World News

US-Israel vs Iran: Counting the Cost of an Unforeseen War

In the early hours of February 28, 2026, the Iranian capital awoke to coordinated airstrikes that marked one of the most consequential escalations in the region in years. The operations—codenamed Roaring Lion and Epic Fury—unfolded with precision, targeting a web of political,

Why Did US, Israel Strike Iran?

The joint strike by the United States and Israel on Iran on 28 February 2026 underscores decades of tension between the countries. United States led the operation, highlighting its strategic reach in the Middle East despite Iran being geographically distant—about 11,600–11,700 kilometres
Previous Story

NAFDAC Uncovers Banned Crusader Soaps Containing Mercury In Nigerian Markets

Nigeria's  Information Ministry Partners With Angola On Media
Next Story

Nigeria’s  Information Ministry Partners With Angola On Media

Don't Miss

Can Nigeria Truly Break Free From Oil Dependency?

Can Nigeria Truly Break Free From Oil Dependency?

Oil Dependency: Can Nigeria Move Forward? For over six decades,
asc impact – the enormous social and economic importance of the global agricultural and forestry industry

asc impact – the enormous social and economic importance of the global agricultural and forestry industry

LONDON, England, 11 July 2024, /African Media Agency/- AFSIC – Investing