On September 18 (ANI), Derna, Libya According to CNN, the United Nations has revised the previous death toll from the Libyan floods, indicating that at least 3,958 people have perished rather than the 11,300 that had been first reported by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The UN has now estimated the death toll at 3,958, citing the World Health Organisation (WHO), according to the amended data released by the OCHA on Sunday morning.
Over 9000 individuals are still missing, according to the most recent report, CNN reports.
On the other hand, the OCHA used the data from the Libyan Red Crescent for its report on Saturday and said that at least 11,300 people perished in Derna as a result of catastrophic floods in its prior report, according to CNN.
The UN Secretary-General’s deputy spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said to CNN on Sunday, “We’re going with figures just verified by WHO.”
The Libyan Red Crescent Society, on the other hand, previously admitted to CNN that it never informed the UN of the high mortality tolls caused by the floods in Derna.
Haq explained why the UN misrepresented the death toll by saying, “In a lot of different situations, we end up changing our estimates. So that’s the only thing going on here.
He said, “Standard practise is that we collaborate with several parties to attempt to ensure that our figures are cross-checked. Our figures are always being cross-checked as we make these updates.
The deputy spokesman said that the death toll numbers are subject to change and “can go upward or downward.”
Rescue crews were also working diligently to make room for more relief operations on Derna’s coastline, where the disaster’s effects are still clearly visible. As rescue efforts were hampered by barriers, a chopper searched the ocean for corpses.
After two dams south of the city collapsed and torrents of floodwater were released down a typically dry riverbed, whole districts of Derna, which is home to an estimated 120,000 people, were swept away or submerged in brown sludge.
The UN’s office for humanitarian affairs said that it has launched an appeal for USD 71 million to help individuals who were impacted by the tragedy. The World Health Organisation has also acted, sending aircraft carrying emergency supplies to approximately 2,50,000 people in eastern Libya. These supplies include life-saving medications, equipment for surgeries, and body bags.
A navy ship from Italy landed at Derna with supplies including tents, blankets, water pumps, and tractors. Saudi Arabia and Russia have provided relief planes, including mobile hospitals. (ANI)
