DERNA, Libya: Search teams combed streets, wrecked buildings and even the sea for bodies in a devastated eastern Libyan city on Wednesday, where authorities said massive flooding had killed at least 5,100 people, with the toll expected to rise further.
Authorities were still struggling to get aid to the Mediterranean coastal city of Derna after Sunday night’s deluge washed away most access roads. Aid workers who managed to reach the city described devastation in its center, with thousands still missing and tens of thousands left homeless.
“Bodies are everywhere, inside houses, in the streets, at sea. Wherever you go, you find dead men, women, and children,” Emad Al-Falah, an aid worker from Benghazi, said over the phone from Derna. “Entire families were lost.”
Mediterranean storm Daniel caused deadly flooding in many towns of eastern Libya on Sunday, but the worst-hit was Derna. Two dams outside in the mountains above the city collapsed, sending floodwaters washing down the Wadi Derna river and through the city center, sweeping away entire city blocks. Waves rose as high as 7 meters (23 feet), Yann Fridez, head of the delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Libya, told broadcaster France24.
Mohammed Derna, a teacher in the city, said he, his family and neighbors rushed to the roof of their apartment building, stunned at the volume of water rushing by. It reached the second story of many buildings, he said. They watched people below, including women and children being washed away.
“They were screaming, help, help,” he said over the phone from a field hospital in Derna. “It was like a Hollywood horror movie.”
Derna lies on a narrow coastal plain on the Mediterranean Sea, under steep mountains running along the coast. Only two roads from the south remain usable, and they involve a long, winding route through the mountains.
Aid teams with some supplies managed to get in that way, while authorities in eastern Libya worked Wednesday to repair the faster coastal access routes.
Otherwise, local emergency workers were relying on whatever equipment they already had on hand. Search teams combed shattered apartment buildings and retrieved the dead floating offshore in the Mediterranean Sea, Al-Falah said. Collapsed bridges the river split the city center, further hampering movement.
Ossama Ali, a spokesman for the Ambulance and Emergency Center in eastern Libya, said at least 5,100 deaths were recorded in Derna, along with around 100 others elsewhere in eastern Libya. More than 7,000 people were injured in the city, most receiving treatment in field hospitals that authorities and aid agencies set up, he told The Associated Press by phone Wednesday.
The number of deaths is likely to increase since teams are still collecting bodies from the streets, buildings and the sea, he said. At least 9,000 remain missing, but that number could drop as communications are restored, Ali said.
At least 30,000 people in Derna were displaced by the flooding, the UN’s International Organization for Migration said, adding that the city remained almost inaccessible for humanitarian aid workers.
The startling devastation pointed to the storm’s intensity, but also Libya’s vulnerability. The country is divided by rival governments, one in the east, the other in the west, and the result has been neglect of infrastructure in many areas.
“This is a disaster in every sense of the word,” a wailing survivor who lost 11 members of his family told a local television station as a group of rescuers tried to calm him. The television station did not identify the survivor.
Ahmed Abdalla, a survivor who joined the search and rescue effort, said they were putting bodies in the yard of a local hospital before taking them for burial in mass graves at Derna’s sole intact cemetery.
“The situation is indescribable. Entire families dead in this disaster. Some were washed away to the sea,” Abdalla said by phone from Derna.
Bulldozers worked over the past two days to fix and clear roads to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and heavy equipment. Derna is 250 kilometers (150 miles) east of Benghazi, where international aid started to arrive on Tuesday.
Libya’s neighbors, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia, as well as Turkiye and the United Arab Emirates, sent rescue teams and aid. President Joe Biden also said the United States is sending emergency funds to relief organizations and coordinating with the Libyan authorities and the United Nations to provide additional support.
Mohammed Abu-Lamousha, a spokesman for the eastern Libyan interior ministry, on Tuesday put the death tally in Derna at more than 5,300, according to the state-run news agency. Dozens of others were reported dead in other towns in eastern Libya, he said.
Authorities have transferred hundreds of bodies to morgues in nearby towns. More than 300, including 84 Egyptians, were brought to the morgue in the city of Tobruk, 169 kilometers (105 miles) east of Derna, the local Medical Center reported.
The victims’ lists reflected how Libya, despite its turmoil, was always a magnet for workers from around the region because of its oil industry.
More than 70 of Derna’s dead all hailed from a single southern Egyptian village, el-Sharif. On Wednesday morning, hundreds attended a mass funeral in the village for some of their repatriated bodies. Another funeral for four others was held in a town in the northern Nile Delta.
Among the dead were the family of Saleh Sariyeh, a Palestinian originally from the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in Lebanon who had lived in Derna for decades. The 60-year-old, his wife and two daughters were all killed when their home in Derna was washed away, his nephew Mohammed Sariyeh told the AP.
The four were buried in Derna. Because of ongoing gunbattles in Ein el-Hilweh, the family there could not hold a gathering to receive condolences from friends and neighbors, Mohammed said.
Derna, about 900 kilometers (560 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli, is controlled by the forces of powerful military commander Khalifa Haftar, who is allied with the eastern Libyan government. The rival government in western Libya, based in Tripoli, is allied with other armed groups.
Derna was once a hub for extremist groups in the years of chaos that followed the NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
Toll from devastating floods in Libyan city passes 5,100 dead, authorities struggle to get in aid
https://arab.news/n9575
Toll from devastating floods in Libyan city passes 5,100 dead, authorities struggle to get in aid
- Authorities were still struggling to get aid to the Mediterranean coastal city of Derna after Sunday night’s deluge washed away most access roads
- “Wherever you go, you find dead men, women, and children,” Emad Al-Falah, an aid worker from Benghazi, said
Theater and film experts Fatima Al-Banawi, Lana Komsany lends expertise to Saudi summer camp
DUBAI: Saudi filmmaker Fatima Al-Banawi is set to take part in a two week summer program for children in Jeddah hosted by Alf Wad Productions.
The two programs aimed at children are titled “Little Theater Stars Camp” and “Camp Journey to the World of Cinema.” The programs run for two weeks.
The schedule focuses on teaching theatrical experiences by allowing children to write a play inspired by their ideas. In addition to writing a script, the participants will design the costumes and help in building the set for the production.
From lighting to sound and storytelling, the program will offer a holistic understanding of what it takes to bring a theater production to life.
Led by instructor Lana Komsany and supervised by Al-Banawi, the programs will conclude with a performance in front of a live audience.
Al-Banawi is recognized for her roles in “Barakah Meets Barakah” and the Saudi thriller “Route 10.”
She made her directorial debut with “Basma,” in which she also plays the titular role of a young Saudi woman who returns to her hometown of Jeddah after studying in the US. Back home, she is confronted with her father’s mental illness, strained family ties, and the challenge of reconnecting with a past life that no longer feels familiar.
“I really went into cinema — in 2015 with my first feature as an actress — with one intention: to bridge the gap between the arts and social impact and psychology,” she previously told Arab News. “And I was able to come closer to this union when I positioned myself as a writer-director, more so than as an actor.”
The film debuted on Netflix in 2024.
Meanwhile, Qamsani specializes in film and theater, with extensive experience in directing, acting, and writing, and is known for her work in creative training.
Alfwad Productions is a Saudi Arabia-based creative arts organization focused on nurturing young talent through performance, storytelling, and cultural education. The organization runs year-round programs that blend theater, music, and visual arts.
Pakistan forecasts monsoon rains from June 25, warns of flash floods and landslides
- Met Office says moist currents penetrating upper and central parts of country, likely to intensify in coming days
- Landslides may cause road closures in KP, Murree, Galiyat, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan’s hilly areas, says Met Office
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (Met) on Monday forecast that several parts of the country will receive heavy monsoon rains from June 25 onwards, urging masses to take precautions against the resulting flash floods and landslides in low lying and hilly areas.
The alert comes as Pakistan braces for another season of extreme weather, following deadly heatwaves and catastrophic floods in recent years. Ranked among the ten most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, Pakistan is ramping up preparedness efforts, especially in Punjab, where authorities expect significantly above-average rainfall this monsoon.
In a press release, the Met Office said moist currents are penetrating the upper and central parts of the country and are likely to become “intensified” in the next couple of days.
“A westerly wave is expected to approach upper parts on 25th June and likely to become significant on 26th June,” the Met Office said. It warned that several areas of Azad Kashmir will receive scattered heavy rainfall from June 24 to July 2. Rain, wind and thunderstorms are expected in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamir, Astore, Ghizer, Skardu, Hunza, Gilgit, Ghanche, Shigar areas from June 26-29, it said.
The Met Office said rain with thunderstorms are expected in Islamabad/Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, Narowal, and other cities of Punjab from June 25 to July 1.
The weather department said rain with thundershowers are expected in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dir, Chitral, Swat, Kohistan, Malakand, Bajaur, Shangla, Battagram, Buner, Kohat, Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Waziristan, Orakzai, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Peshawar, Mardan, Hangu and Kurram from June 25 to July 1 with occasional gaps.
“Rain wind/thundershower is expected in northeastern/southern parts of Balochistan (Sherani, Musakhel, Loralai, Sibbi, Barkhan, Naseerabad, Kalat, Lasbella, Khuzdar, Awaran, Kalat, Jaffarabad, Dera Bugti and Kohlu) from 25th night to 28th June,” it added.
In Sindh, the Met Office said Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Khairpur, Kashmore, Hyderabad, Tharparkar, Mirpur Khas, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Thatta, Badin and Karachi are expected to receive rain with thundershowers from June 25-28 with occasional gaps.
The PMD warned that heavy to very heavy rains may generate flash floods in local nullahs and streams of Murree, Galiyat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Nowshera, Swabi, Islamabad/Rawalpindi and other areas from June 26 to July 1.
“Landslides may cause roads closure in the vulnerable hilly areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Murree, Galiyat, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan during the wet spell,” PMD said.
It advised farmers to manage their activities keeping in mind the weather forecast and advised travelers and tourists to remain “extra cautious.”
“All concerned authorities are advised to remain “ALERT” and take necessary measures to avoid any untoward situation,” the press release concluded.
New Al-Hilal kit unveiled in New York gives a nod to club’s heritage
- The event featured a KidSuper x Puma Football tournament as Saudi giants continue their FIFA Club World Cup campaign
RIYADH: The new 2025-26 season Al-Hilal kit has been revealed by PUMA and American artist, fashion designer and musician KidSuper as the Saudi club continues its FIFA Club World Cup campaign in the US.
The strip pays tributed to the club’s “heritage, artistry and global ambition,” and takes its cue from its name — Al-Hilal means “crescent moon” in Arabic. The symbol is highlighted in toning blues with a glowing lunar graphic, while the goalkeeper’s jersey has an alpine snow base with blue and navy blue details.
To bring a regional flavor to the global collaboration, PUMA Middle East invited Zeynab El-helw — a Dubai-based fashion entrepreneur known for her bold, and distinct style — along with Shouq, a rising Saudi voice recognized for her expressive and forward-thinking fashion content, and Noura Joubran, a content creator celebrated for her fusion of elegance and contemporary style, to New York City for the proceedings.
The three brought the PUMA x KidSuper Al-Hilal collection to life with a content shoot celebrating the fusion of fashion and football, while also highlighting the club’s growing global footprint and milestone presence at the FIFA Club World Cup.
The trio joined PUMA’s global team for an exclusive launch event, attended by creators, media and football fans, and which featured a KidSuper x PUMA football tournament. They also attended one of Al-Hilal’s Club World Cup matches.
Colm Dillane, aka KidSuper, said: “I’ve always wanted to merge the worlds of art and football, and with PUMA, we’re doing just that. This collection is about more than just the game. It’s about expressing yourself, taking risks, and standing out. Whether on the pitch or off, football is an art form, and this collection shows that.”
The collection also features limited-edition kits and lifestyle pieces for six other PUMA-sponsored clubs — Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, FC Salzburg, Mamelodi Sundowns, Palmeiras and Monterrey.
Beijing issues weather warning for hottest days of year
- An orange heat warning — the second-highest in a three-tier system — was issued on Monday as officials encouraged people to limit outdoor activity and drink more fluids to avoid heatstroke
BEIJING: Beijing residents sought shade and cooled off in canals on Monday as authorities issued the second-highest heat warning for the Chinese capital on one of its hottest days of the year so far.
China has endured a string of extreme summers in recent years, with heatwaves baking northern regions even as parts of the south have seen catastrophic rain and flooding.
Authorities in the city of 22 million people urged the public to take precautions, with temperatures expected to peak at around 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday.
“It’s been really hot lately, especially in the past few days,” intern Li Weijun told AFP on Monday afternoon.
The 22-year-old said he had stopped wearing formal clothes to work and delayed his daily exercise until after 10:00 p.m. to stay safe.
“I think it’s related to climate change, and maybe also to the damage done to nature,” he said.
An orange heat warning — the second-highest in a three-tier system — was issued on Monday as officials encouraged people to limit outdoor activity and drink more fluids to avoid heatstroke.
Construction workers should “shorten the amount of time consecutively spent at labor,” while elderly, sick or weakened individuals ought to “avoid excessive exertion,” according to the guidelines.
Zhang Chen, 28, said she carried an umbrella outdoors to prevent sunburn.
“I used to ride a bike, but once it gets this hot, I basically stop doing that,” the IT worker told AFP.
Despite the beating sun, legions of delivery drivers zipped through downtown areas at noon to bring sustenance to Beijing’s office workers.
A few lazed on the backs of their scooters in a shady spot, while elsewhere, people cooled off with ice creams or by taking a dip in the city’s canals.
Beijing is still a few degrees short of breaking its record for the hottest-ever June day, set at 41.1C in 2023.
Human greenhouse gas emissions are driving climate change that causes longer, more frequent and more intense heatwaves.
China is the world’s largest producer of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, though it has pledged to bring its emissions to a peak by the end of this decade and to net zero by 2060.
The country has also emerged as a global leader in renewable energy in recent years as it seeks to pivot its massive economy away from highly polluting coal consumption.
In a shady spot near an office building, 42-year-old Lucy Lu spent her lunch break with friends, kicking a shuttlecock through the air — a traditional Chinese game known as “jianzi.”
“I was born and raised in Beijing, and summer here has always been like this,” she said.
“But I do think when the temperature goes over 40C, there should be some time off or work-from-home options to reduce the risk of heatstroke.”
5 things we learned from Al-Hilal’s draw with Red Bull Salzburg at FIFA Club World Cup
- Frustration for Inzaghi, goalscoring issues and another goalkeeping masterclass from Yassine Bounou
DC: Al-Hilal dominated Red Bull Salzburg on Sunday night in the second group match of the FIFA Club World Cup. The match was played at Audi Field, a mere three kilometres south of the White House in Washington, D.C.
Yet while they ultimately failed to capitalise on possession, they could even have lost were it not for another superb performance from stand-out Yassine Bounou in goal.
The 0-0 draw means no team from Group H has yet confirmed their place in the Round of 16, but with Hilal facing bottom-placed CF Pachuca on Thursday and Salzburg facing Real Madrid, the Riyadh club will be quietly confident of progressing, as long as they can find the net.
Another draw and frustration for Inzaghi, but all is not lost
New coach Simone Inzaghi knew his Al-Hilal team could not afford to lose if they were to stand any chance of progressing to the knock-out stages of this revamped 32-team tournament. The Italian went as far as to publicly say that anything less than victory would void all that was achieved against Real Madrid on Wednesday. A stalemate then against Salzburg — with strong emphasis on the word “stale” — did little to clarify who might progress to the Round of 16. Inzaghi, however, must surely be privately if not publicly the happier of the two coaches.
It was the fifth scoreless draw of the tournament so far, but it means Inzaghi’s side are alive going into the final Group H match with Mexico’s CF Pachuca. Now in third place with two points, the 2021 AFC Asian Champions League winners will progress should they win in Nashville by two clear goals. Madrid and Salzburg, tied on four points, will face off in Philadelphia with the Spanish giants’ plus-two goal difference giving them an edge should they draw.
Issues in attack continue
Inzaghi will be keen to sharpen his attack before Thursday. Hilal failed to fire against an Austrian side that conceded 27 goals in just eight games during this season’s revamped UEFA Champions League group stage. Yes, Aleksandar Mitrovic is missing, but Brazilian striker Marcos Leonardo has scored 25 in 40 for the Riyadh club since joining last September. Getting the former Santos and Benfica forward firing will be key. Leonardo had Hilal’s best chance against Salzburg, but his shot was blocked by Jacob Rasmussen.
This is the second successive match where Hilal have dominated possession, but struggled in front of goal. Brazilian Malcom and captain Salem Al-Dawsari combined to score 39 goals and claim 35 assists in all competitions last season, but it is now close to 200 minutes in the United States without the team bulging the net from open play. Against Salzburg in the heat, that drought rarely looked like ending. For all the possession and 18 shots at goal, they managed only four on target, only one from inside the penalty area, and none truly troubled Christian Zawieschitzky.
“It is natural for us to be unhappy about not scoring goals,” Inzaghi said. “This is a crucial match, and we put in a lot of effort, and we are working on improving and developing our performance as a team. We have only worked together for a week. I had a week in Saudi Arabia, and we have been in America for 10 days now. I am happy and convinced with all the decisions I have made.”
‘Bono’ stars again
While Inzaghi will be quietly content that his new charges can still progress, he must be thankful once again to goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, because despite Hilal’s dominance, only the Moroccan stopper prevented a tournament-ending defeat. Man of the match against Madrid, he replicated the feat in Washington with impressive saves from captain Mads Bidstrup and Karim Onisiwo, before saving his best for early in the second half.
When Ghanaian striker Edmund Baidoo’s shot fell at the feet of substitute John Mellberg, the son of former Juventus midfielder Olof must have thought he would open the scoring with practically his first touch. His first-time drive from just a few yards out though was somehow repelled at point-blank range by Bounou before the loose follow-up was cleared off the line by Kalidou Koulibaly. It seemed like desperate defending, but it retained a clean sheet and ultimately secured a point.
Neves pulls strings and plays defence
Ruben Neves, who scored from the spot against Madrid, again showed his importance to the Riyadh club. The Portuguese midfielder expertly connected defence with attack, spraying passes wide to the likes of Al-Dawsari, Renan Lodi, Malcom, and Joao Cancelo. With nobody able to capitalise on the Portuguese playmaker’s distribution — including a first-half corner from which Sergej Milinkovic-Savic should have tested Zawieschitzky — Neves’s most important play arguably came early in the second half.
Samson Baidoo broke through and was ready to open the scoring before Neves showed he is more than just a clever passer, demonstrating surprising pace and a perfectly timed challenge to block the shot. When Hassan Al-Tambakti was forced off through injury, it was Neves who was dropped into the centre of defence alongside Koulibaly.
Inzaghi said post-match that while he believes Al-Tambakti just needs rest, he is happy with his defensive options in Ali Lajami and Khalifa Al-Dawsari for the next match should he not recover in time.
Heat a real hindrance
With the match described by some pundits as the most boring of the tournament so far, the temperatures certainly did not help. Kicking off at 6pm with the temperature at 32°C — and feeling much hotter — the intensity levels dropped the longer the game went on. In the hydration breaks players covered their heads and necks with cold towels, while others sought short refuge in the shade.
The Salzburg side that looked so energetic and dangerous against Pachuca failed to turn up. With 25 minutes remaining, the Austrians’ coach, Thomas Letsch, removed Karim Onisiwo and Oscar Gloukh — his two goalscorers in the 2-1 win over Pachuca. If the move was supposed to reinvigorate the Salzburg attack, it fell flat. Hilal meanwhile looked leggy, which could be why the only efforts of note came from distance — Milinkovic-Savic and Joao Cancelo forcing comfortable saves from Zawieschitzky.
“One point is still OK,” Milinkovic-Savic told DAZN at full-time. “We did a lot of things nice. It was just missing the goal. We created, kept the ball, and defended well, so I’m happy. Let’s go to the last game — we need to win.”
Hilal’s final match is in Nashville with an 8pm local time kick-off, which will hopefully bring a little respite from the soaring temperatures.
