Turkish naval vessels arrive in flood-hit Libya with humanitarian assistance

The Turkish naval vessels TCG Bayraktar and TCG Sancaktar arrived at the Libyan coast to provide assistance to those affected by devastating floods earlier in the week, the Turkish National Defence Ministry has said.

A total of 360 personnel, including members of the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Search and Rescue Association (AKUT), Health Ministry, Coast Guard, and fire department, are on board the vessels, the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

Ambulances, trucks, rescue and rapid intervention vehicles are among the 122 vehicles that were successfully carried to Libya on the ships, dispatched from Türkiye's Aegean city of Izmir, it added.

Accompanying the personnel and vehicles were three field hospitals and supplies for food, shelter, and medical supplies to aid disaster-hit locals.

The TCG Osmangazi is also scheduled to depart from Izmir to continue transporting essential aid materials to Libya.

The ministry extended its heartfelt wishes for a swift recovery to the injured and its condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.

Torrential rains and floods from Storm Daniel swept several areas in eastern Libya, most notably Benghazi, Al-Bayda, Al-Marj, Soussa, and Derna.

Türkiye stands by Libya

Türkiye stands by Libya in wake of the country's deadly flood disaster, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday, adding that he had ordered the mobilisation of all state resources to help Libyans.

“As of now Türkiye has dispatched three aircraft and three ships as part of humanitarian aid for flood-battered Libya,” said Erdogan, addressing an urban transformation and earthquake forum in Istanbul.

"Our assistance to our Libyan brothers and sisters will continue uninterruptedly to help them overcome these difficult days in a short time,” he added.

Catastrophic flooding

The death toll from the catastrophic flooding in Libya's eastern city of Derna has climbed to 11,300, the United Nations said in an update.

Another 10,100 people are still missing in the devastated city, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said late on Saturday.

Elsewhere in eastern Libya outside Derna, the flooding took an additional 170 lives, the update said.

The update comes two days after the Libyan Red Crescent said the death toll soared beyond 11,000, with the number of missing people at 10,100.

After Storm Daniel hit the east of the country last week, two dams upstream from Derna burst, sending a wall of water into the wadi of dry riverbed that divides the port city of 100,000 people.