Benghazi (Libya): At least 150 people were killed in freak floods in eastern Libya as a result of storm Daniel which has swept the Mediterranean, an official said on Monday.

Images filmed by residents of the disaster area showed massive mudslides, collapsed buildings and entire neighbourhoods submerged under water.

"At least 150 people were killed as a result of flooding and torrential rains left by storm Daniel in Derna, the Jabal al-Akhdar region and the suburbs of Al-Marj," Mohamed Massoud, a spokesman for the Benghazi-based administration in Libya, told AFP.

"This is besides the massive material damage that struck public and private properties," he added.

He said the prime minister of the east-based government, Oussama Hamad, and the head of a rescue committee as well as other ministers had travelled to Derna to evaluate the extent of the damage.

Hamad's government -- which rivals a UN-brokered, internationally recognised transitional administration in Tripoli -- on Monday declared Derna a "disaster area".

Experts have described storm Daniel -- which also struck parts of Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria in recent days, killing at least 27 people -- as "extreme in terms of the amount of water falling in a space of 24 hours".

The storm struck eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon, notably the coastal town of Jabal al-Akhdar but also Benghazi, where a curfew was declared and schools closed for several days.

Rescue teams were also deployed in Derna, 900 kilometres (560 miles) east of the capital Tripoli.

With a population of 100,000, the city lies in the wadi of a river bearing the same name.

East Libyan authorities had "lost contact with nine soldiers during rescue operations" in the city, Massoud had said.

The United Nations mission in Libya on Monday said on X, formerly Twitter, that it was "closely following the emergency caused by severe weather conditions in the eastern region of the country".

It expressed its condolences over the victims of the floods and said it was "ready to support efforts by local authorities and municipalities to respond to this emergency and provide urgent humanitarian assistance".

Hundreds of residents are still believed to be trapped in difficult-to-reach areas as rescuers, backed by the army, try to come to their aid.

Libya, sitting on Africa's largest known oil reserves, was plunged into chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed former dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

Two rival governments based in the west and east have been vying for power, with deadly conflict occasionally erupting.

Libyan prime minister says 2,000 people believed dead in flooding in eastern Libya following storm

Cairo: The head of one of Libya's rival governments said Monday that 2,000 people are feared dead in flooding that swept through the eastern parts of the north African nation.

In a phone interview with al-Masar television station Monday, Prime Minister Ossama Hamad said that 2,000 were feared dead in the eastern city of Derna, and thousands of others are reported missing.

He said the floods have swept away entire neighbourhoods in Derna, which has been declared a disaster zone, after the country was hit by Mediterranean storm Daniel.

Othman Abduljaleel, the health minister of the east Libya government, announced the death toll Monday afternoon in a telephone interview on the Saudi-owned satellite news channel Al-Arabiya. He said at least 50 others were missing.

Abduljaleel said the tally didn't include the city of Derna — declared a disaster zone — where the situation remained unclear as of Monday afternoon.

The dead included 12 people in the eastern town of Bayda, the town's main medical center said.

Another seven people were reported dead in the coastal town of Susa in northeastern Libya, according to the Ambulance and Emergency Authority.

Seven others were reported dead in the towns of Shahatt and Omar al-Mokhtar, the minister said.

One other person was confirmed dead Sunday. The man was stuck in his car and surrounded by floods in the eastern town of Marj, according to Walid al-Arfi, spokesperson for the government-run emergency response agency in eastern Libya.

The Libyan Red Crescent said it lost contact with one of its workers as he attempted to help a stuck family in Bayda. Dozens of others were reported missing, and authorities fear they could have died in the floods that destroyed homes and other properties in several towns in eastern Libya, according to local media.

Derna, which was the worst hit, has become inaccessible and local media reported that the situation there was catastrophic with no electricity or communications.

Over the weekend, Libyans shared footage on social media showing flooded houses and roads in many areas across eastern Libya. They pleaded for help as floods besieged people inside their homes and in their vehicles.

Ossama Hamad, the prime minister of the east Libya government, has declared Derna a disaster zone after heavy rainfall and floods destroyed much of the city. He also government declared a state of emergency Saturday and suspended classes as a precaution ahead of the storm, which made landfall overnight.

The prime minister announced Monday a three-day of mourning and ordered flags across the country to be lowered to half-mast.

Controlling eastern and western Libya, Cmdr. Khalifa Hifter deployed troops to help residents in Benghazi and other eastern towns. Ahmed al-Mosmari, a spokesperson for Hifter's forces, said they lost contact with five troops who were helping besieged families in Bayda.

Libya, a country with over 6 million people, suffers from debilitating infrastructure after more than a decade of conflict. The Mediterranean nation has plunged into chaos since a NATO-supported uprising in 2011 toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi who was later killed.

The oil-rich country has been divided for most of the past decade between rival administrations in the east and west. Each administration is backed by armed groups and militias, and foreign governments.

Storm Danial is expected to arrive in parts of west Egypt on Monday, and the country's meteorological authorities warned about possible rain and bad weather.

AP, AFP