Heavy rainfall from Mediterranean storm Daniel pounded northeastern Libya over the weekend, causing two dams to burst above the city of Derna. "The flowing water carried away entire neighborhoods, eventually depositing them into the sea," Ahmed al-Mosmari, a spokesman for the armed forces in eastern Libya, said Monday.
Al-Mosmari said more than 2,000 people were dead and thousands more missing in Derna, numbers echoed by Prime Minister Ossama Hamad of the eastern government but not independently verified. The Libyan Red Crescent put the number of confirmed deaths in Derna at more than 300 late Monday, though it said it expected the number to rise. "Derna is a tragedy, a catastrophe," said Asmahan Belaoun, a Libyan lawmaker with family in the city, according to The Washington Post.
The storm caused serious flooding in Greece and slammed Turkey and Bulgaria last week before moving over the warm waters of the Mediterranean and strengthening into a tropical-like cyclone known as a medicane. It then dumped heavy rain on the northeastern coast of Libya, hitting Derna, the cities of Bayda and Shahhat and several smaller towns and villages. The weakened storm is heading to Egypt next.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Libya's National Center on Meteorology said more than 16 inches of rain fell on Bayda over a 24-hour period. Bayda typically gets about half an inch of rain in September and 21.4 inches a year, the Post reported, citing the site Floodlist.
Libya has not had a central government since 2014, after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled Moammar Gadhafi left a vacuum filled by warring factions. The area hit by the catastrophic flooding is in the area controlled by the Libyan National Army. The internationally recognized Tripoli-based government that controls western Libya said Monday it sent ambulances, rescue convoys and doctors to eastern Libya to help with disaster relief. Both governments declared three days of mourning.
-
Remaking the military: the war on diversity and ‘fat generals’Talking Point The US Secretary of War addressed military members on ‘warrior ethos’
-
The delightful, smutty world of Jilly CooperIn the Spotlight Millions mourn the ‘Mrs Kipling of sex’
-
Crossword: October 11, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
A manga predicting a natural disaster is affecting tourism to JapanUnder the Radar The 1999 book originally warned of a disaster that would befall Japan in 2011 — a prophecy that came true
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
