The authorities of eastern Libya intend to isolate the most affected areas in Derna with the aim of controlling any environmental disaster that might occur, while the people there are preoccupied with the fate of thousands of missing loved ones.
The authorities in eastern Libya are seeking to isolate the most affected areas in the city of Derna, which was ravaged by the Mediterranean Hurricane “Daniel,” along with other cities and regions in the east of the country.
The spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior of the Libyan government appointed by the House of Representatives, Lieutenant Colonel Tariq Al-Kharaz, confirmed, saying: “We intend to implement a plan to isolate the most affected areas in Derna.”
He explained, "We received higher instructions regarding this, and this will likely be implemented at a later time."
Al-Kharaz pointed out that "there are many reasons for taking this measure, including that isolating the most affected areas enables us to control any environmental disaster that may occur."
He added: "There are serious warnings of the spread of epidemics as a result of the decomposition of human and animal bodies in stagnant water, which in itself constitutes a danger, as it is a mixture between the flood waters that the region witnessed and the sewage waters that exploded due to the hurricane."
He considered that "the presence of citizens in those areas hinders efforts to search for survivors or recover the bodies of victims."
The fate of the missing people preoccupies the people of Derna
In this context, the fate of those missing as a result of the floods is still the primary concern of the people of Derna, a week after the disaster.
Ahmed Ashour (62 years old) recounts his tragedy, saying: “I lost my daughter. Her mother is convinced that she is still alive. I accepted that she died, She left us a three-month-old baby.”
Ashour also lost his eldest sister and her daughter. He said: "When we knew what happened to others, we could accept everything that happened to us."
The center of Derna has turned into barren land, and stray dogs spread among piles of muddy rubble that were once buildings and houses. Some other buildings barely stand in a strange sight, leaning on ground floors nearly destroyed by water.
Two dams collapsed a week ago in the city under the weight of a powerful storm and heavy rain, releasing a huge torrent of water into a dry seasonal river valley that passes through the center of the city, which is inhabited by about 120,000 people, causing thousands of deaths and thousands missing.
The White House : Biden calls the Moroccan King to offer condolences to the earthquake victims
The White House announced that US President Joe Biden called, on Monday, King Mohammed VI of Morocco, to offer his condolences for the victims that occurred as a result of the devastating earthquake that struck the country on September 8.
A statement published on the White House website said : “Joe Biden called King Mohammed VI to offer his condolences for the deaths that occurred as a result of the devastating earthquake, and to confirm the deep partnership between Morocco and the United States.”
The statement added: “The American President and the Moroccan King reviewed American assistance to support Morocco’s efforts to respond to disasters, including one million dollars allocated for relief activities, and discussed the United States’ readiness to help recover the affected areas. The two leaders agreed to remain in close contact.”
It is worth noting that on September 8, 2023, an earthquake struck several regions in Morocco , and its epicenter was the Al Haouz region. Medical sources and civil defense in Morocco expect the death toll to rise as rescue operations continue.
The earthquake that struck the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco last Friday, with a magnitude of 7.2, claimed the lives of at least 2,946 people and left about 5,674 injured , making it the deadliest earthquake to hit Morocco since 1960 and the strongest since at least 1900.