Storm Daniel hits Libya, bursting dams and killing 2,500 with 7,000 missing: Foreign Media

Colombo (News 1st) - More than 2,500 people were killed and 7,000 are missing in eastern Libya when entire neighborhoods of the city of Darnah (Derna) were swept out to sea by the Darna River on Monday (11th) after several dams above the city burst from massive rains dumped by Storm Daniel, multiple foreign media outlets reported.

Libya has for several years been splintered into two regional governments hostile to each other following the toppling of the Muammar Quadafi regime, and a clear picture has not yet emerged.

The Prime Minister of the eastern part of the country, Osama Hamad, said 2,000 people died in Derna city itself with others in outlying areas by the catastrophic flash flood in the darkness before dawn.

The government of the western side, based in the capital Tripoli, called for urgent international assistance.

The Libyan Red Crescent confirmed that at least 150 people have died. Water levels in the river had climbed by as much as 10 feet within seconds, causing the river to break its banks and sweep through adjoining neighborhoods collapsing buildings including multi-storey apartment blocks.

Ahmed al-Mosmari, a spokesman for the armed forces in the region, told a media conference that 2,000 people are confirmed dead and 6,000 missing.

The storm also struck the cities of Benghazi, Susa, Bayda, and al-Marj as well as smaller towns in the region.