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Thousands of deaths and missing in Libya following storm Daniel

Tripoli, Sep 14 (Prensa Latina) At least 2,794 people died and 2,513 are missing in Libya after the passage of Storm Daniel, according to the first official data released by the Government in control of the eastern part of the country.

The Minister of the Interior, General Issam Bouzriba, reported in a press conference that of the total number of documented fatalities, 2,631 are from the city of Derna, which was devastated after two nearby reservoirs broked down.

Many of the deceased have been buried unidentified in mass graves, although DNA samples were taken, according to the Minister who is also the appointed president of the Supreme Emergency and Rapid Response Committee to combat the consequences of the catastrophe.

The Prime Minister appointed by Parliament, Osama Hammad, highlighted the magnitude of the destruction caused by the phenomenon, and assured that specialized teams continue search and rescue operations under the rubble and at sea.

According to the International Organization for Migration, the tragedy caused at least 30,000 displaced people.

The inhabitants of the Martouba area, in the Green Mountain, requested help to collect and bury the bodies that are brought in from Derna and other cities by the torrents of water.

Activist Abu Bakr Al-Rifadi told local press that numerous bodies began to accumulate on the beaches of the Martouba coast.

During an interview with the American television channel CNN, the head of the Libyan Emergency and Ambulance Service, Osama Aly, criticized the preparation of the authorities for the arrival of the storm, which also caused damage in Greece, Türkiye and Bulgaria before crossing the Mediterranean.

Aly denounced that the climatic conditions were not studied, nor were the possible rise in sea level, nor the amount of precipitation, and the population was not evacuated.

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