The UN’s humanitarian affairs office said it had initiated an appeal for 71 million US Dollars to aid those affected by the disaster. The World Health Organization has flown in emergency aid to reach people in eastern Libya, providing essential medicines, surgery supplies, and body bags.Derna [Libya], September 18 (ANI): The United Nations has amended the previous death toll from Libya floods, stating that at least 3,958 people have died instead of 11,300 as was earlier reported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), CNN reported.
According to the revised report updated on Sunday morning from the OCHA, the UN has now pegged the toll at 3,958, citing the World Health Organization (WHO)As per the updated report, over 9000 people are still missing, according to CNN. However, the OCHA, in its previous report, said at least 11,300 people died in Derna due to devastating flooding, citing the Libyan Red Crescent figures for Saturday’s report, according to CNN. Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, told CNN on Sunday, “We’re going with figures just verified by WHO.”
However, earlier, the Libyan Red Crescent Society told CNN that it never released the high death figure tolls to the UN from the flooding in DernaOn why the UN cited the death toll incorrectly, Haq said, “In a lot of different tragedies we end up revising our numbers. So that’s just what’s happening hereHe added, “Standard procedure is we work with different parties trying to make sure our numbers are cross-checked. Whenever we do these revisions it’s because our numbers are being cross-checkedThe deputy spokesperson said the death toll figures are fluid and “can go upward or downward.
Moreover, on Derna’s seafront, where the aftermath of the disaster is evident, rescue teams were working tirelessly to clear the way for further relief efforts. A helicopter scanned the sea for bodies, and diggers strove to remove obstacles obstructing rescue operationsIn Derna, which has an estimated population of at least 120,000, entire districts were swept away or buried in brown mud after two dams south of the city broke, releasing torrents of floodwater down a usually dry riverbedThe UN’s humanitarian affairs office said it had initiated an appeal for USD 71 million to aid those affected by the disaster. The World Health Organization has also taken action, flying in emergency aid to reach nearly 2,50,000 people in eastern Libya, providing essential medicines, surgery supplies, and body bags
Saudi Arabia and Russia have contributed aid flights, including mobile hospitals, while an Italian naval ship arrived in Derna with supplies such as tents, blankets, water pumps, and tractors The UN has amended its previous death toll from the floods in Libya, according to a revised report updated on Sunday morning from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian AffairsThe UN is now stating that at least 3,958 people have died across Libya due to flooding, citing the UN World Health Organization (WHO). The revised report also states that more than 9,000 people are still missingIn Saturday’s initial report, OCHA said at least 11,300 people are dead in Derna, Libya, due to devastating flooding. OCHA cited the Libyan Red Crescent with the figures for Saturday’s report
When asked how or why the UN cited the death toll incorrectly, Haq said, “in a lot of different tragedies we end up revising our numbers. So that’s just what’s happening here.”Standard procedure is we work with different parties trying to make sure our numbers are cross checked. Whenever we do these revisions it’s because our numbers are being cross checked,” Haq explainedDerna, the epicenter of flooding during Storm Daniel, was split in two after floodwaters swept entire neighborhoods last Sunday, ploughing a path to the sea. The city had a population of around 100,000 before the tragedyExperts say the storm’s impact was greatly exacerbated by a lethal confluence of factors including aging, crumbling infrastructure, inadequate warnings and the effects of the accelerating climate crisis
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