- Arrival of Medical Supplies in Flood-Ravaged Libya
- Urgent Appeal to Stop Mass Burials
- Prosecution Over Dam Dereliction and Growing Crisis
It follows the eastern Libyan top prosecutor’s announcement to punish those who dereliction two Derna dams.
A large shipment of medical supplies, including body bags, has arrived in flood-ravaged Libya, where aid workers are urging the government to stop burying victims in mass graves.
Benghazi received 29 metric tonnes of medical supplies, enough to serve 250,000 people, according to the WHO.
The supplies, which will be distributed to hospitals and health centers, consist of essential medications, trauma and emergency surgery supplies, medical equipment, and body bags for the secure and dignified transportation and burial of the deceased.
WHO and other humanitarian organisations have asked Libyan authorities to stop mass-burying floods victims.
It was stated that such burials could cause families long-term mental distress or pose health dangers if located near water.
Dr. Ahmed Zouiten, WHO’s representative in Libya, stated, “This is a disaster of epic proportions.”
It follows the eastern Libyan top prosecutor’s announcement to punish those who dereliction two Derna dams.
The city is having to handle thousands of corpses washing up or rotting under the wreckage after the disaster.
In the meantime, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) announced that it had increased its aid package to Libya and Morocco, where an earthquake has killed thousands, to £10 million.
The funds will be used to provide essential supplies, such as emergency shelter supplies, solar lanterns, and water filtration.
Health and sanitation professionals will lead an emergency medical team to Libya to inspect disaster-stricken areas quickly.
According to a UN report, more than one thousand people have been buried in mass graves since Libya, a country torn apart by a decade of conflict and political unrest, was struck by torrential rain that caused two dams to burst.
As of Thursday, the Libyan Red Crescent reported 11,300 fatalities due to flooding in Derna.
Another 10,100 individuals are missing, but the relief organisation doubts many will be recovered alive.
According to Bilal Sablouh, regional forensics manager for Africa at the International Committee of the Red Cross, corpses are “strewn about the streets, washing ashore, and buried beneath collapsed buildings and debris.”
“In just two hours, one of my colleagues counted over 200 bodies on the beach near Derna,” he stated.
Divers are also scouring the waters off the coast of the Mediterranean.
One-fifth of the population dead or vanished.
“This community is exceptionally close-knit. Here, people have resided for generations.
“Diggers are searching for them [the missing], but there are insufficient diggers.
“Only three or four have been observed in this valley. However, this is an enormous, massive catastrophe.”
The dam’s administration and water resources authority were summoned by Libya’s chief prosecutor, Al Siddiq Al Sou, Friday evening.
He stated that the investigations are concentrating on the funds allocated for the maintenance of the dams. Emphasizing that the office had received reports that cracks were visible in the dams before the flooding.
“I promise the public that the prosecution will prosecute everyone who has erred or ignored their obligations,” he said.
Due to the spread of waterborne diseases and moving explosives that were gathered up when the two dams collapsed and sent a wall of water gushing through the city, the number of fatalities could rise, officials warned.
Ibrahim al Arabi, the minister of health for the Tripoli-based western administration of Libya, stated that he was certain that the groundwater was contaminated with human remains, dead animals, garbage, and chemicals.
“We strongly urge people not to approach the wells in Derna,” he stated.
The disaster has brought some rare unity to oil-rich Libya after years of civil conflict between rival governments in the country’s east and west that are backed by various militia forces and international patrons.
However, the opposing governments have struggled to respond, and recovery efforts have been hampered by confusion, the difficulty of delivering aid to the hardest-hit areas, and the devastation of Derna’s infrastructure, including several bridges.
The UK has pledged $8.6 million (£10 million) to the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
Lord Tariq Ahmad, the British minister for the Middle East and North Africa, stated, “It is heartbreaking to see the loss of life and displays of devastation in Libya as a result of the floods.
“The United Kingdom is committed to assisting the Libyan people during this difficult time.”
We will increase UK funding for crisis response and provide essential life-saving supplies. Such as shelter, water filters, and medical evaluations.”
