- Communication channels in Derna have been cut off, making it difficult to get reliable information.
- Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in Derna, destroying buildings and killing at least 2,000 people.
- Residents have seen dead bodies floating in the water.
Obtaining reliable information from Derna has become exceptionally challenging due to the breakdown of communication channels.
Journalist Jawher Ali, who hails from Derna, shared insights gathered from his contacts in the city before communication was severed.
“The torrents have not stopped yet,” Ali told media from Istanbul, where he is currently based. “It has invaded the streets of the city and knocked buildings over. After the sun rose [on Monday morning], many streets in the city were destroyed.”
“Residents have seen dead bodies floating on water… it is so sad that they feel unable to do anything for them,” he added. Ali called for international help to assist the victims. “They need equipment that the Libyan authorities are unable to provide, such as helicopters,” he explained.
Video clips circulated on social media and were broadcasted by Almostkbal TV from eastern Libya depict individuals stranded atop their vehicles, urgently seeking assistance, while floodwaters engulf and carry away cars.
“The missing are in the thousands, and the dead exceed 2,000,” Osama Hamad, the prime minister of self-proclaimed governments in eastern Libya, told al-Masar TV.
“Entire neighborhoods in Derna have disappeared, along with their residents … swept away by water.”
