Tripoli, 12 September 2023 (dpa/MIA) - A powerful storm that swept through eastern Libya may have killed thousands of people and caused massive damage to homes, dams and roads, an official said on Monday.

The prime minister designate and finance minister of one of the rival governments in the country beset by civil war, Osama Hammad said more than 2,000 people may have been killed, in comments to Al-Massar television station.

He added that some cities had been entirely destroyed.

But a military official in the region worst hit said the death toll was far higher and warned that many more thousands of people are still missing.

Libyan National Army (LNA) spokesman Major General Ahmed al-Mismari said around 2,000 people had been killed in the eastern city of Derna alone. Between 5,000 and 6,000 people are still missing, he told a press conference.

The death toll is likely to rise, according to medical sources in Derna.

Two dams in the city have collapsed, the council said on its Facebook page. 

Videos posted by the Derna municipal council showed massive damage, with overturned cars submerged in water.

No official casualty numbers are available after storm "Daniel" that struck Libya on Sunday, mainly affecting the east of the country. 

Two governments are vying for power in Libya. One is based in Tripoli, in the west, and is led by Abdul-Hamid Dbeibeh. The other is in the east, and is supported by Khalifa Haftar.

The spokesman for the Ambulance and Emergency Service, Osama Ali, told dpa about the "very difficult situation" in the eastern regions. The cities of al-Bayda, Derna, al-Marj, and Soussa, and the towns of Takenes, and al-Batta, were worst affected by the torrential rains and winds.

"Soussa is mainly under water and our teams cannot reach it as roads are cut off. We will need certainly helicopters to help save people," he said.

Earlier, medical sources said the storm had killed up to 10 people in Soussa and 50 were still missing.

The al-Bayda Medical Centre said the storm had killed 12 people, in a preliminary toll.

Ahmed Makhlouf, of al-Bayda, the second largest city in the east of the country, that the situation "is very bad."

"Electricity, all communications and the internet are cut. This is the largest flood we have witnessed in years, and it has swept away everything," he said.

The army official also said that the military had lost contact with five soldiers while they were carrying out rescue efforts.

Dbeibeh, whose government in the capital Tripoli is recognized by the United Nations, said on Sunday he had directed all state agencies to "immediately deal" with the damage and floods in the eastern cities and declared them "disaster areas."

Dbeibeh's government described the storm as of the worst in more than 40 years.

Hammad, who opposes Debeibeh's government, announced three days of mourning nationwide for the public and private sectors, saying this should begin for all institutions as of Monday.

The UN mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement that it is following the situation closely and is ready to support efforts by the local authorities.

The UN humanitarian coordinator in Libya, Georgette Gagnon, called on the international community to provide swift assistance. According to initial reports, "dozens of villages and towns have been severely affected by the storm," Gagnon wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Gaddafi in 2011. Countless militias are still fighting for power and influence in the oil-rich country. The conflict is further fuelled by foreign states.

All diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict peacefully have failed so far.

Photo: print screen/Twitter