Libya asks for Egypt’s help to prevent spread of disease resulting from decomposition of corpses

CAIRO – 15 September 2023:The Libyan Minister of Health and spokesman for the parliament-designated government, Othman Abdel Jalil, asked for Egypt’s help to deal and prevent spread of disease and epidemics resulting from the decomposition of corpses.

In comments to “Cairo News” on Thursday evening, Abdel Jalil said: “We want to benefit from the experience of the Egyptian Ministry of Health regarding the measures taken to prevent the rapid spread of epidemics. Egypt is one of the closest countries to us. If experts in the field of [preventing] the spread of infection are available, they can visit the city of Derna.”

“We will be very happy to receive them [the Egyptian specialists] and hear from them to help us deal with the effects of the [decomposed] bodies,” he added.

He noted that the Libyan health institution was able to restore services via establishing 6 medical facilities in the city of Derna to receive infected people over the past two days. He clarified that most of the medical personnel in the city died due to the floods and all health institutions were out of service on the first day of the disaster.

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi directed the military, Wednesday to prepare a Mistral aircraft carrier to serve as a field hospital for the victims of Daniel storm that struck Libya.

Sisi directed the army to establish shelter camps in the western military zone for those affected by the tragedy.

The devastating story, Daniel, struck Libya and lead two dams in Derna city to collapse, killing so far more than 5,100 people while about 9,000 others are still missing. About 25 percent of the city was inundated. More than 70 dead bodies of Egyptian nationals who were killed in Libya floods were deported home and buried in their hometown Beni Suef, Upper Egypt, on Wednesday, Al-Arabyia Al Hadath reported.

Egypt announced a three-day mourning for the victims of the Libyan flood disaster and the victims of Moroccan earthquake that claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people.