Libya: More than 5,000 dead after Storm Daniel batters country's east

More than 5,000 people have been killed and thousands more are feared dead after Storm Daniel triggered devastating floods in eastern Libya that broke dams and swept away entire neighbourhoods.

Tarek al-Kharraz, a spokesman for the interior ministry of the government that oversees eastern Libya, one of two rival administrations running the country, said at least 5,200 people had died in Derna after two dams collapsed in the city.

Rows of bodies shrouded in blankets lay on the sidewalk outside a hospital in Derna, highlighting how the storm overwhelmed Libya's infrastructure which has been devastated by years of war and political turmoil.

Earlier on Tuesday, a Red Cross official said 10,000 people were missing, more than 48 hours after after the storm made landfall.

"Our teams on the ground are still doing their assessment, [but] from what we see and from the news coming to us, the death toll is huge," Tamer Ramadan, of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told reporters in Tunisia.

"We don't have a definite number right now," he said, adding that "the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 people so far".

The area of Libya affected by Storm Daniel is controlled by renegade general Khalifa Haftar. 

The 79-year-old, who also controls vast swathes of the country's east, has enjoyed significant backing from Russia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as diplomatic cover from France. 

Libya has been in a state of unrest since 2011 when a Nato-backed uprising toppled longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Years of political instability, corruption and war have led to the neglect of key state institutions such as hospitals, sanitation and rescue teams that are needed to help in a disaster response. 

Hichem Chkiouat, a minister and member of the eastern government's emergency committee, said Derna was one of the worst hit cities and had suffered unprecedented devastation.

"I am not exaggerating when I say that 25 percent of the city has disappeared. Many, many buildings have collapsed," he told reporters, before declaring Derna a disaster zone.

Images of devastation

Storm Daniel also hit Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece but Libya has been the most severely impacted in what one UN official has described as "a calamity of epic proportions".

According to one video posted on social media, hospital workers in the city of Bayda were seen trying to sweep away water that had flooded the building.

Other videos showed apartment blocks in the town of Marj surrounded by flood waters and aerial images showed huge swathes of land covered in water.

The flooding prompted an international response, with an increasing number of countries deploying rescue teams and aid to the North African state.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said "multiple offers of help" had started coming in.

The US said they were coordinating with Libyan authorities and the United Nations to provide support and provide emergency funds through relief organisations.

Turkey's foreign ministry said it had sent three plane loads full of aid and rescue workers on Monday night.

The UAE and Qatar also said they were sending help to areas afflicted by the storm and subsequent flooding.

Turkey and Qatar have traditionally supported the Tripoli government, while the UAE has backed Haftar, but a rapprochement between Ankara and Abu Dhabi has resulted in a simmering down of the conflict in Libya, though tensions remain.

According to meteorologists, Storm Daniel formed over the Ionian Sea near Greece and Bulgaria earlier this month and made its way towards the southern Mediterranean. 

When it reached Libya, it brought winds of more than 80km per hour and heavy rains.

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.