Tunisian Presidency announced its readiness Monday to provide aid and launch search and rescue operations after Mediterranean Storm Daniel caused devastating floods in eastern Libya.
Following a request from the Libyan government for international aid, Tunisia is preparing to dispatch 200 search and rescue personnel for both water and land along with tents, three rescue vehicles, the Interior Ministry announced on Monday.
Storm Daniel swept several areas of eastern Libya on Sunday, most notably the cities of Derna, Al Bayda and Al-Marj, as well as Soussa and Benghazi, according to senior local officials and aid agencies.
The death toll from floods in Derna has risen above 2,000, while thousands of people are believed to be missing.
Early on Monday, the head of Libya’s Tripoli-based unity government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, declared all areas exposed to the storm and floods “disaster zones.”
Dbeibeh also announced three days of national mourning for the flood victims.
Libyan authorities also declared a state of emergency, which included suspending classes at all public and private educational institutions and closing shops.
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