Storm Daniel: Death toll rises in Libya's Derna as rescue and relief efforts continue in Morocco

Palestinians among dead in Libya floods

At least 23 Palestinians have been killed in the devastating floods in Libya, official Palestinian media said on Wednesday, as the total death toll in the North African country continues to rise.

Dozens of families are also missing, the Wafa news agency said.

The political advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ambassador Ahmad Al-Deek, said that the Palestinian Embassy in Libya and its General Consulate in Benghazi confirmed the death of the family of Nasser Attiya Dohan, which consists of five members, and the family of Mahmoud Ahmed Shamiya and four of his brothers and mother, bringing the death toll of Palestinian victims to 23. 

The Associated Press said 62-year-old architect Saleh Ali Sariyeh, his wife and two daughters were also killed in the floods. Sariyeh had fled to Libya from Lebanon to escape the civil war in the country.

Libya: Major oil ports reopen days after Storm Daniel

Four major oil ports in Libya have reopened after shutting down on Saturday because of the powerful storm that swept the country, killing thousands of people, port agent Al Omran International Maritime Agencies said on Wednesday.

The eastern ports of Brega, Es Sidra and Ras Lanuf opened on Tuesday and the port of Zueitina opened on Wednesday morning, Al Omran said.

Oil prices rose on Wednesday, with Brent firming around a 10-month peak reached during trading a day earlier, as the market balanced supply concerns over the port shutdowns and OPEC+ production cuts against the global economic outlook.

A single buoy mooring (SBM) at Es Sidra was shut for maintenance last week after a leak, two traders told Reuters. Maintenance teams are still trying to fix the leak, a shipping source added.

(Reuters)

Egypt recovers bodies of nationals from storm-hit Libya

Egypt has recovered 87 bodies of Egyptians who died in Libya due to Storm Daniel, the Egyptian ministry of emigration said on Wednesday.

The bodies were repatriated by the Egyptian military and were buried in their respective towns in Egypt, the ministry added.

Libya hosts a considerable number of the Egyptian diaspora, who usually cross the land border into its east, where most of the storm-hit areas are located.

(Reuters)

Football players among dead in Libya floods

The Libyan Football Association announced the death of four players in the floods that swept the city of Derna in the east of the country following Storm Daniel.

The federation wrote on Facebook, "We console ourselves and the sports community with the loss of athletes Shaheen Al-Jamil, Saleh Sassi, Ayoub Sassi, and Hussein Shallouf."

The Libyan Al-Tahadi Club confirmed the news of the death of its striker, Shaheen Al-Jamil, and that his body was found on Tuesday morning.

He said on Facebook, "With great sorrow and sadness, and with hearts that believe in God’s will and destiny, we received news of the death of the late, God willing, player of our first football team, Shaheen Al-Jamil, after he drowned in torrential floods in the city of Derna."

Over 3,000 people are said to be dead following the deadly storm, with the death toll expected to rise significantly, as rescue operations continue.

UEFA to hold a minute of silence for Libya, Morocco victims

The football governing body for Europe, UEFA, announced it hold a minute of silence at all upcoming national and club competition matches until the end of next week in honour of the victims of the flooding in Libya, as well as the earthquake in Morocco.

UEFA expressed that "the thoughts of European football are with the people of Libya and Morocco during these difficult times."

UEFA will hold a moment of silence at all upcoming national team and club competition matches until the end of next week, in memory of the victims of the flooding in Libya, as well as the victims of the earthquake in Morocco, as previously announced on 9 September.

The thoughts…

— UEFA (@UEFA) September 12, 2023

EU to send aid to flood-stricken Libya

The EU stated on Wednesday that assistance from Germany, Romania and Finland had been dispatched to Libya after flooding killed at least 2,300 people, with thousands more missing.

A European Commission said the aid was "on the way" to the devastated city of Derna and the bloc had formally activated its civil protection mechanism to mobilise help.

The move followed a formal request for assistance from authorities in Libya on Tuesday.

The aid from the three EU member states consists of "tents, field beds and blankets, 80 generators, food items, as well as hospital tents and water tanks", the EU said.

EU crisis management commission Janez Lenarcic said the bloc had also released an initial 500,000 euros ($535,000) in emergency funding.

"The EU remains ready to scale up the response for the most affected people in Libya going through this difficult time," he said.

Fears mount over surging death toll in Libya following Storm Daniel

Bodies were washing ashore in eastern Libya on Wednesday, swelling the death toll from a storm that swept whole neighbourhoods out to sea, with thousands already confirmed dead and many thousands more still missing.

The flood torrent, unleashed by a powerful storm on Sunday night that burst dams, obliterated around a quarter or the Mediterranean city of Derna. Whole multi-storey buildings were swept away with sleeping families inside.

The "sea is constantly dumping dozens of bodies", Hichem Abu Chkiouat, minister of civil aviation in the administration that runs eastern Libya, told Reuters by phone.

#درنة #ليبيا_تستغيث بالأقمار الصناعية ما قبل وبعد الكارثة. pic.twitter.com/2krGTQARKD

— عمر الأنصاري (@Oumar_Alansari) September 13, 2023

"We have counted more than 5,300 dead so far, and the number is likely to increase significantly and may even double because the number of missing people is also thousands," he added.

Tens of thousands of people had been made homeless, he said, appealing for international aid and adding that Libya did not have the experience to deal with the aftermath of such a disaster.

Officials say at least 10,000 people are feared missing or dead, though tolls confirmed dead so far vary. Tariq Kharaz, a spokesperson for the eastern authorities, said 3,200 bodies had been recovered, and 1,100 of them had yet to be identified.

At least 30,000 left homeless following Libya floods

At least 30,000 Libyans have been left homeless in the eastern city of Derna in devastating flash floods unleashed by Storm Daniel, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Wednesday.

The storm has killed at least 5,300 people, according to Libyan officials, with thousands more feared dead or missing.

Morocco earthquake leaves mental scars

When Khadija Temera, a survivor of Morocco's deadly earthquake, was sent to a psychiatrist on Tuesday, she was just one of a hundred newly traumatised patients who would be seen within 24 hours.

The powerful quake last Friday killed  2,901 people, most of them in remote villages of the High Atlas Mountains.

Beyond the physical devastation, soldiers and aid workers say it is becoming increasing clear that many of the survivors are facing severe mental suffering.

"The most important thing is that we are alive," Temera says, her henna-stained fingers fiddling with a piece of paper, her eyes swollen with tears.

But now she wants to "heal her heart", and on Tuesday she had her first consultation with a psychiatrist, seeking balm for the trauma inflicted by the quake.

She had first gone to see a regular doctor for hypertension.

But Moroccan troops in the area quickly referred her to the psychiatrist, who said he had seen around a hundred patients since the previous day out of the 500 who came to the field hospital in Asni, around 90 kilometres (55 miles) south of the tourist hub of Marrakesh.

Flashbacks from the fateful day continue to haunt Temera: of stairs collapsing and trapping her and the nine members of her family before they could be rescued.

"I've been awake ever since, I can't fall asleep -- as soon as I lie down everything comes back," said the 68-year-old from the village of Lareb.

King Mohammed VI donates blood, visits earthquake in Marrakech hospital

Morocco's King Mohammed VI visited Marrakech University Hospital on Tuesday, where he greeted victims of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake which hit the country on Friday.

The King could be seen hugging and chatting with victims of all ages on state television.

King Mohammed VI, who has reigned since 1999, also donated blood for victims.

Blood donations has been encouraged immensely in Morocco following the deadly earthquake, which has killed at least 2,901 people.

SM le Roi S'est rendu, mardi après-midi, au CHU "Mohammed VI" de Marrakech où le Souverain S'est enquis de l'état de santé des blessés, victimes du douloureux tremblement de terre survenu le vendredi 8 septembre. SM le Roi a également effectué un don de Son sang, un geste fort… pic.twitter.com/9lJ7HhX3nv

— 2M.ma (@2MInteractive) September 12, 2023