Tripoli floods kill bank employee and close roads

Heavy rain flooded streets in Libya's capital Tripoli on Tuesday, submerging vehicles and prompting authorities to close the capital's ring road, launch drainage work and cut electricity in some districts.

Jumhouria Bank said one of its employees died by electrocution as he entered the bank's headquarters while floodwaters submerged utility boxes.

The General Electricity Company said it cut power in some Tripoli districts to reduce danger. The government ordered public services to carry out urgent operations to drain floodwater, and security forces announced the ring road closure.

The National Meteorological Centre had forecast heavy rain across northern Libya on Monday evening and warned people living near wadis and valleys.

Images shared on social media and in local media showed flooded vehicles and water inside buildings, including corridors of the central hospital. Municipal trucks and road crews were pumping mud and debris from main roads Tuesday morning.

Tripoli streets regularly flood during rains despite seasonal efforts to clear drainage networks and manholes, which are often clogged by desert sand.