Libya urges countries, aid groups to provide aid to flood-stricken areas

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – Libya's top authority on Monday urged the friendly countries and international aid groups to provide aid to the flood-stricken areas in the eastern region.

"We are certain that international solidarity will have positive effect in rebuilding the area and its recovery from such a natural disaster," said a statement by the Libyan Presidential Council.

It also urged the Libyan citizens to abide by "the safety instructions and warnings" issued by relevant authorities to overcome the deadly crisis.

The authorities based in eastern Libya estimated that hundreds were killed and thousands of others went missing after the floods hit the region.

The Libyan News Agency (LANA) cited Ossama Hamad, the head of the parliament-appointed government, as saying in an interview that more than 2,000 people were killed in the eastern city of Derna, adding that entire residential blocks were erased after they were swept away by the floods.

Early on Monday, the head of Libya’s Tripoli-based unity government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, declared all areas exposed to the storm and floods as “disaster zones.”

Dbeibeh also announced three days of national mourning for the victims of deadly floods that ravaged the North African country.

Storm Daniel swept several areas in eastern Libya on Sunday, most notably the cities of Benghazi, Bayda, and Al Marj, as well as Soussa and Derna, according to an Anadolu reporter in the field.