UN Office for OCHA amends death toll in Libya floods
Sep 19, 2023The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has amended the death toll from Libya floods to 3,958 citing World Health Organization (WHO). The UN had earlier reported the death of 11,300 people in the flood disaster in the country's coastal city of Derna. As per the updated report, over 9000 people are still missing.
Deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General Farhan Haq said, these figures are fluid and can be revised. In Derna, which has an estimated population of at least 120,000, entire districts were swept away or buried in brown mud after two dams south of the city broke, releasing torrents of floodwater down a usually dry riverbed. Rescue teams were working tirelessly to clear the way for further relief efforts.
The UN's humanitarian affairs office said it had initiated an appeal for 71 million US Dollars to aid those affected by the disaster. The World Health Organization has flown in emergency aid to reach people in eastern Libya, providing essential medicines, surgery supplies, and body bags.
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