Casualties in Libya floods could have been avoided with warning system: WMO chief

General view of the city during the Sunrise, following a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hitting the country, in Derna, Libya September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori/File photo

GENEVA (Reuters) - The head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday that casualties could have been avoided in the floods that hit Libya if the divided country had a functional weather service able to issue warnings.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva, WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas said Libya's main challenge in managing the aftermath of floods that have killed thousands was that the governing was "not functioning normally".