TRIPOLI, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- Abdul-Hamed Dbeibah, the prime minister of Libya's Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, Tuesday called on the country's political parties to unite to help deal with the aftermath of the deadly floods that hit eastern Libya on Sunday.
"I call on all Libyan parties to rise above political differences in order to unite our efforts to help the stricken areas, mainly Derna, and the surrounding areas," Dbeibah said after a praying ceremony held in Tripoli for the flood victims.
Dbeibah praised the relief efforts made by the government agencies to cope with the aftermath of the floods, stressing the need for international assistance to recover bodies.
He did not reveal the number of casualties, confirming that it would be announced upon completion of the relief efforts.
A total of 2.5 billion Libyan dinars (around 516 million U.S. dollars) has been allocated to rebuild the disaster areas, Dbeibah said.
At least 3,060 people were killed, and 5,200 others went missing in the Libyan city of Derna after heavy floods swept the eastern part of the country on Sunday, said Libya's eastern-based Interior Ministry on Tuesday.
The floods were caused by a Mediterranean storm that made landfall in Libya on Sunday. The storm also caused widespread damage to infrastructure and property.
Libya has been in a state of political turmoil since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. It has been divided between rival administrations in the east and west, with each administration backed by armed groups and militias.
