Torrential rains flood towns in western Libya, PM orders rescue

Torrential rains caused severe flooding across several towns in western Libya overnight Friday, cutting electricity and running water and trapping residents in torrents of mud.

Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah ordered authorities to immediately mobilise resources in affected areas "to ensure a rapid response", his office said.

Videos and images circulated on social media showed people trapped in vehicles or trying to escape the mudflows.

In Mizda, a town of fewer than 30,000 people in a semi-desert area south of Tripoli where heavy rainfall is uncommon, the floods caused "a widespread power outage after numerous electricity poles fell", as well as other damage and landslides, municipal spokesman Omar Kachaka told a local television channel.

Rescue teams in the Bani Walid area, about 170 kilometres (105 miles) south of Tripoli, worked to free residents trapped in vehicles swept away by the mudflows.

Ahmed al-Sid, mayor of Nasmah town, about 150 km south of Tripoli, declared the municipality a disaster zone because of extensive damage caused by the rain and overflowing wadis.

Dbeibah said he was closely monitoring the situation and ordered authorities to clear roads and restore electricity, drinking water and telecommunications, according to a statement.

Authorities have not confirmed any deaths.