Scores killed as Storm Daniel triggers deadly flooding in Libya

At least 150 people have been killed in freak floods in Libya as a result of storm Daniel which has swept the Mediterranean, an official said.

"At least 150 people were killed as a result of flooding and torrential rains left by storm Daniel in Derna, the Jabal al-Akhdar region and the suburbs of Al-Marj," Mohamed Massoud, a spokesman for the Benghazi-based administration in Libya, told AFP news agency on Monday.

It was unclear where the deaths occurred.

Dozens of others were reported missing, and authorities fear they could have died in the floods that destroyed homes and other properties in several towns in eastern Libya, according to local media.

Earlier, footage on social media showed people stranded on the roofs of their vehicles while trying to get help in heavy floods as Daniel hit the cities of Benghazi, Sousse, Al Bayda, Al-Marj and Derna, which was declared a disaster zone by authorities.

The Libyan Red Crescent said it lost contact with one of its workers as he attempted to help a stuck family in the town of Bayda.

Seven members of the Libyan National Army were also missing, LNA spokesman Ahmad Mesmari said.

Walid al Arfi, spokesperson for the government-run emergency response agency in eastern Libya, said "all security and military agencies, as well as all relevant government institutions such as the General Safety Authority and hospitals, are currently on high alert".

He continued, "The most affected areas are Al-Bayda, Taknis, Al-Marj, and Derna in the east of the country, as houses there have been flooded due to being located amidst the green mountain whose valleys overflowed due to heavy rain.