Greek premier confirms deaths of its 5 rescue team members in traffic mishap in eastern Libya

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Five members of a Greek rescue team were killed and 10 others were injured in a traffic accident in flood-ravaged eastern Libya, the Greek prime minister confirmed on Monday morning.

“We mourn for the members of the Greek mission. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and the 10 injured,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias hinted in a statement that the three members of the armed forces died in the mishap, indicating the two others were civilians.

“By my decision, a three-day mourning period is declared for the Armed Forces for the death of their officers,” he said.

Meanwhile, the public broadcaster ERT reported that two civilians who worked as interpreters for the Greek Foreign Ministry also died in the accident.

The mishap occurred while the bus was traveling from Benghazi to the flood-stricken eastern city of Derna when it collided with a car, it said.

A C-130 military cargo plane flew the 13 members of the Greek rescue team back to Greece, while a C-27 cargo military plane flew to Libya to bring the bodies back to the country, it added.