Libya suffers ‘catastrophic’ flooding from Storm Daniel with 5,000 potentially dead, 10,000 missing

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At least 2,000 dead in Libya from Mediterranean Storm Daniel's widespread flooding in Libya

Satellite data shows Daniel swept across Greece and Turkey bringing flooding rains before moving across the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend and making landfall between Benghazi and Derna early on Monday.

DERNA, Libya – Mediterranean Storm Daniel destroyed a quarter of a city in eastern Libya, causing devastating floods and potentially leaving up to 5,000 dead, according to reports by the Interior Minister.

Aid agencies report lower estimates of fatality but warn that the numbers can rise sharply with so many still unaccounted for.

Libya's Red Crescent aid group said they are working to search for survivors as agency officials estimate the grim number of deaths in the thousands as of Tuesday. Tamer Ramadan, head of a delegation of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the death toll would be "huge," Reuters reports.

"We can confirm from our independent sources of information that the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 so far," he told reporters via video chat on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, a plane carrying search and rescue teams and survival supplies from Turkey arrived in Libya, according to Al Jazeera reports.

Extensive damage along the banks of the Wadi Darnah River in Derna was captured in social media footage. In response, Benghazi and other cities in the eastern part of the country have implemented curfews and school closures.

Many of the missing are in Derna – the area where the destruction appeared to be the greatest after two upstream dams burst and carried them away with water, the Associated Press reports. Essam Abu Zeriba, the interior minister of the east Libyan government, described the situation as tragic during a phone interview with the Saudi-owned satellite news channel Al-Arabiya. He pleaded with local and international agencies for aid in the disaster zone.

Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, the head of Libya's Tripoli-based unity government, declared three days of national mourning Monday for the victims of deadly floods that ravaged the North African country. This comes as the U.S. Embassy in Libya said they issued an official declaration of humanitarian need in response to the devastating floods.

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More than 2,000 reported dead after flooding inundates Derna, Libya

Images and footage posted by the Libyan Red Crescent show flooded streets and disabled vehicles in Derna. City authorities said that two dams in the city collapsed, and called for international aid.

"The declaration of humanitarian need will authorize initial funding that the U.S. will provide in support of relief efforts in Libya," Special Envoy Ambassador Richard Norland said on X, formerly known as Twitter. "We are coordinating with UN partners and Libyan authorities to assess how best to target official U.S. assistance."

MEDITERRANEAN STORM DANIEL CAUSES WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN LIBYA WHERE THOUSANDS ARE FEARED DEAD

Othman Abduljaleel, the health minister in Libya’s eastern government, said the situation is "catastrophic."

"The bodies are still lying on the ground in many parts (of the city)," he said in a recent report from the AP. "Hospitals are filled with bodies. And there are areas we have yet to reach."

Authorities said they couldn't reach thousands of residents in Derna due to impassable, heavily damaged and flooded roads, Al Jazeera's reporter Malik Traina said. 

"Aid has been able to reach other towns that have been affected. A flight with aid has just landed in Misrata. Assistance is coming in from countries such as Qatar, Egypt, and others," Traina added.

Minister of Civil Aviation Hichem Chkiouat reported that 25% of Derna was destroyed during his visit, Al Jazeera reports.

A timelapse with satellite data shows Storm Daniel sweeping across the Mediterranean Sea.

(FOX Weather)

Over the past week, an unusually strong weather system has brought heavy rain to the Mediterranean and North Africa. The downpour was particularly intense in Greece, described as being of "biblical proportions," and has resulted in at least 14 deaths across Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria.

Satellite data shows Daniel swept across Greece and Turkey beginning on Sept. 4, bringing flooding rains before moving across the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend and making landfall between Benghazi and Derna early Monday. 

Daniel, also known as Cyclone Daniel or Medicane Daniel, now has the characteristics of a tropical depression as it moves toward the northwest desert of Egypt. The primary concern there on Monday will be intense winds and thunderstorms.

An estimated 6,000 people have died within the span of a week from natural disasters in North Africa. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake in Morocco has claimed the lives of about 3,000 people.