Sydney - Middle East Times Int’l: A HUGE death toll is expected to climb after Storm Daniel lashed the country with the destruction likely the greatest in Derna, a city formerly held by Islamic extremists which left it with crumbling and inadequate infrastructure.

The head of delegation for Libya for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says that 10,000 people are missing after flooding, and warned that the death toll could reach thousands.

Tamer Ramadan said the death toll was “huge” and expected to reach into the thousands in coming days as assessments of the damage are carried out.

Authorities in Libya have estimated that the storm that triggered flash flooding may have killed as many as 2000 people in Derna alone. Libya remains divided between two rival administrations, one in the east and one in the west, each backed by militias and foreign governments.

The confirmed death toll from the weekend flooding stood at 61 as of late Monday (local time), according to health authorities. But the tally did not include Derna, which had become inaccessible, and many of the thousands missing were believed carried away by waters.

Video by residents of the city posted online showed major devastation. Entire residential areas were erased along a river that runs down from the mountains through the city centre. Multi-story apartment buildings that once stood well back from the river were partially collapsed into the mud.

Prime Minister Ossama Hamad of the east Libyan government said 2000 were feared dead in Derna and thousands were believed missing. He said Derna was declared a disaster zone after heavy rainfall and floods destroyed much of the city which is in the delta of the small Wadi Derna on Libya’s east coast. 

The prime minister also announced three days of mourning and ordered flags across the country to be lowered to half-staff.

Ahmed al-Mosmari, a spokesman for the country's armed forces based in the east, said that the death toll in Derna had surpassed 2000 with about 5000-6000 reported missing. 

Al-Mosmari attributed the catastrophe to the collapse of two nearby dams, causing a lethal flash flood.

In Derna, local media said the situation was catastrophic, with no electricity or communications.

Essam Abu Zeriba, the interior minister of the east Libya government, said many of the victims were swept away towards the Mediterranean.

“The situation is tragic,” he declared in a telephone interview. He urged local and international agencies to rush to help the city.

In a social media post, the US Embassy in Libya said it was in contact with both the UN and Libyan authorities and was determining how to deliver aid to the most affected areas.

Controlling eastern and western Libya, Cmdr. Khalifa Hifter deployed troops to help residents in Benghazi and other eastern towns. 

Al-Mosmari said they lost contact with five troops who were helping besieged families in Bayda.

Foreign governments sent messages of support. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the United Arab Emirates, said his country would send humanitarian assistance and search-and-rescue teams to eastern Libya, according to UAE state-run media.

Turkey, which supports the country's Tripoli-based government in the west, also expressed condolences, along with neighbouring Algeria.

Storm Daniel was expected to arrive in parts of west Egypt on Monday.