Storm Daniel has caused serious damage in eastern Libya. According to an official source from the AFP agency, the number of deaths would rise to 150.

Torrential rains have hit not only this country in recent days, but also Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria, killing at least 27 people.

The death toll could be higher and the head of eastern Libya’s executive branch, Usama Hamad, spoke of “more than 2,000 dead and thousands missing” in the city of Derna, one of the worst hit by the storm.

However, this figure was not confirmed by health services.

“At least 150 people died as a result of the floods caused by Storm Daniel in Derna, in the regions of Jabal Al Akhdar and in the outskirts of Al-Marj” in eastern Libya, Mohamed Massoud, spokesman for the head of the parallel executive branch. located in Benghazi (east).

The storm also caused “significant material damage to infrastructure and private property,” the Libyan spokesman added.

The most important oil fields and terminals are located in the east of the country. The National Oil Company (NOC) declared a “state of maximum alert” and suspended flights between production centers where activity had been drastically reduced.

Rescue teams were sent on Sunday to Derna, a city of more than 100,000 inhabitants (900 kilometers east of Tripoli) crossed by a river that flows into the Mediterranean Sea.

Massoud indicated that authorities “lost contact with nine soldiers during rescue operations in this city.”

Hundreds of residents remain stranded there, in hard-to-reach areas, while rescue teams, backed by the army, try to come to their aid.

Images taken by residents of eastern cities such as Derna, Al-Bayda and smaller towns show massive landslides and entire neighborhoods underwater, as well as collapsed roads and buildings.

The weather forecast predicts heavy rain for three days. (JO)