In the town of Derna, floods killed between 2,000 and 5,300 people, according to the respective count of the two rival Libyan governments. Several countries have sent humanitarian and logistical aid to a very devastated area that is difficult to access. In the meantime, in Derna, residents bury the bodies of their deceased.
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Authorities in the east of the country have started counting the bodies. After the corpses have been identified, they are loaded into pick-ups heading to the cemeteries, where nearly 3,200 deceased have already been buried, according to the Ministry of the Interior of the eastern government.
The victims include at least 400 foreign nationals, mainly from neighboring Egypt and Sudan. The emergency services are facing a very difficult situation, because only two entrances to the town of Derna are still passable.
Communications and electricity are cut, making the search for survivors particularly complex. And all these difficulties prevent us from drawing up a precise definitive assessment, especially since bodies are starting to be washed up by the sea!
International aid is gradually arriving. In Europe, a French plane took off this Wednesday afternoon, with around forty rescuers, firefighters and police, who will soon open a field hospital.
The United Kingdom has just announced aid of more than one million euros. And Italy, Libya’s historic partner, sent a ship and two planes to transport equipment, as did Jordan. But the rivalry between the two governments of the west and the east risks complicating the situation.
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The village of Mechili, in the mountainous region of Jabal Al Akhdar, was on the route of the immense mudslide which swept away everything in its path. The bridges leading to this village have been destroyed. The survivors try to dig up the buried bodies. Testimony of Haj Khalil Oukayli, a dignitary of the village, who affirms that 10% of the inhabitants disappeared following the torrential rain having washed them away during their sleep. Much of their livestock was as well.
We are in an area surrounded by mountains. With the Dulivian rains, sand from the dunes was dumped on the village. Dozens of residents have disappeared. They have joined their creator. We estimate that 10% of the inhabitants are missing. The torrents poured into the village from three sides: the east, the north and the west. The village is located in a sort of basin between mountains. What made matters worse was that it happened in the middle of the night. In addition to the deceased Libyans, there were Sudanese and Egyptians who lived in the village. We expect support from rescuers, the United Nations and the international community, and any form of human solidarity.
The testimony of Haj Khalil Oukayli, dignitary of the village of Mechili
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