IOM: More than 42,000 People Displaced by Floods in Libya's Derna

People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP)
People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP)
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IOM: More than 42,000 People Displaced by Floods in Libya's Derna

People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP)
People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP)

The death toll from devastating floods in Libya's eastern city of Derna has risen to 4,209 people, according to local officials.

Meanwhile, the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said 429 migrants reportedly lost their lives in the catastrophe caused by Storm Daniel.

It said that as of September 30, 42,045 people were displaced from areas affected by the floods.

Spokesman of the Libyan National Army (LNA) Major General Ahmed Al-Mismari said teams of the General Authority for Search and Identification of Missing Persons were able to recover on Thursday eight unidentified bodies from Derna.

Chairman of the Presidential Council Mohamed Menfi discussed with Ibrahim Al Arabi, Health Minister in Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), the health situation in Derna and the Green Mountain regions.

The social and psychological support team affiliated with the Emergency and Rapid Response Committee have discussed coordinating efforts between sectors to provide support to survivors of the floods.

The government had previously announced it would provide mental health support to those affected by the disaster.

The IOM said an estimated 42,045 people remain displaced after Storm Daniel made landfall in northeastern Libya on September 11.

It added that four percent of displaced individuals are in western Libya and the rest are in eastern regions.



Egypt's Sisi Meets With Iran's Foreign Minister

FILED - 11 September 2024, Egypt, Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during a press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier after their meeting at Ittihadiya Palace. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
FILED - 11 September 2024, Egypt, Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during a press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier after their meeting at Ittihadiya Palace. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
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Egypt's Sisi Meets With Iran's Foreign Minister

FILED - 11 September 2024, Egypt, Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during a press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier after their meeting at Ittihadiya Palace. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa
FILED - 11 September 2024, Egypt, Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during a press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier after their meeting at Ittihadiya Palace. Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Thursday, Egypt's presidency said in a statement.
The meeting focused on regional developments, with al-Sisi reiterating Egypt's call to avoid the expansion of conflict and the need to halt escalation to prevent a full-scale regional war, Reuters reported.
Araqchi emphasized the importance of continuing efforts to explore prospects for mutual development of relations between the two countries, the statement added.
Araqchi landed in Cairo late on Wednesday for talks with Egyptian officials, the first such visit in years as part of a Middle Eastern tour amid concerns of a wider confrontation in the region with Israel.
Tensions are high in anticipation of an Israeli attack on Iran in retaliation for Iran's missile attack on Oct. 1. That followed a rapidly spiraling conflict between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Araqchi arrived for "important talks with Egypt's high ranking officials that will be held tomorrow [Thursday]," Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said in a post on X on Wednesday.
Relations between Egypt and Iran have generally been fraught in recent decades but the two countries have stepped up high-level diplomatic contacts since the eruption of the Gaza crisis last year as Egypt tried to play a mediating role.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty traveled to Tehran in July to attend the country's presidential inauguration.