Libya’s Flood-Hit Derna to Host Reconstruction Conference

 A view shows destroyed buildings in the aftermath of the the deadly storm that hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 21, 2023. (Reuters)
A view shows destroyed buildings in the aftermath of the the deadly storm that hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 21, 2023. (Reuters)
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Libya’s Flood-Hit Derna to Host Reconstruction Conference

 A view shows destroyed buildings in the aftermath of the the deadly storm that hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 21, 2023. (Reuters)
A view shows destroyed buildings in the aftermath of the the deadly storm that hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 21, 2023. (Reuters)

Libya's eastern-based administration said on Friday that it would host an international conference next month in the flood-hit port city of Derna to aid reconstruction efforts.

A tsunami-sized flash flood broke through two ageing dams upstream from Derna after a hurricane-strength storm lashed the area on September 10, razing entire neighborhoods and sweeping thousands of people into the sea.

"The government invites the international community to participate in the conference planned for October 10 in Derna to present modern, rapid projects for the reconstruction of the city," the administration said in a statement.

It said the conference was being held in "response to the demands of residents of the stricken city of Derna and other towns that suffered damage" during the flooding.

Wracked by divisions since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed veteran ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi, Libya has for years been ruled by two administrations vying for power.

The Government of National (GNU) in Tripoli is headed by Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, while a rival administration in the east is backed by Libyan National Army (LNA) commander Khalifa Haftar.

The official death toll from the flood stands at more than 3,300 -- but the eventual count is expected to be far higher, with international aid groups giving estimates of up to 10,000 people missing.

Over 40,000 displaced

The International Organization for Migration on Thursday said more than 43,000 people have been displaced by the flood.

It said a "lack of water supply is reportedly driving many displaced out of Derna" to other areas.

The dams that burst had developed cracks as far back as the 1990s, Libya's top prosecutor has said, as residents accused authorities of negligence.

Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group said in a report issued on Tuesday that a deluge of the magnitude seen during Storm Daniel in northeastern Libya was an event that occurred once every 300-600 years.

They found the rains were both more likely and heavier because of human-caused global warming, with up to 50 percent more rain during the period.



Shooting Attack on a Bus Carrying Israelis in the Occupied West Bank Kills 3

24 December 2024, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarm: Israeli army forces raid the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank city of Tulkarm. Photo: Mohammed Nasser/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
24 December 2024, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarm: Israeli army forces raid the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank city of Tulkarm. Photo: Mohammed Nasser/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
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Shooting Attack on a Bus Carrying Israelis in the Occupied West Bank Kills 3

24 December 2024, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarm: Israeli army forces raid the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank city of Tulkarm. Photo: Mohammed Nasser/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
24 December 2024, Palestinian Territories, Tulkarm: Israeli army forces raid the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank city of Tulkarm. Photo: Mohammed Nasser/APA Images via ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

A shooting attack on a bus carrying Israelis in the occupied West Bank has killed at least three people, The Associated Press said on Monday.
Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said at least six others were wounded in the attack on Monday.
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