Libya floods: death toll in Derna surges past 11,300, with 891 buildings destroyed
- Amid conflicting reports on the number of dead, the UN said the toll in the coastal city alone had risen to over 11,300, with thousands more missing
- Many people are asking why the disaster was not prevented, as cracks in the two dams that collapsed were known about for 25 years
.png?itok=xML2J2Ym)
The death toll from devastating floods in eastern Libya surged past 11,300 people in the port city of Derna alone, the UN said, overshadowing hopes of finding thousands of others missing after a rare hurricane-like storm slammed into the North African nation a week ago.
As rescuers including Libyan fighters and foreign teams combed through the rubble, concerns mounted about the potential health impact, including from cholera, from the contaminated waters.
Authorities ordered an investigation into what caused the collapse of two dams that overwhelmed Derna under the pressure of torrential rains from the hurricane-strength Storm Daniel.
The dams had been built to protect the city of 100,000 people after it was hit by significant flooding in the mid-20th century.
Floods completely destroyed at least 891 buildings in Derna, the country’s official news agency reported on Sunday, citing figures from a team assigned by the Libyan National Unity Government.
05:19
Libya floods: International aid starts pouring as rescuers race against time to find survivors
Floods completely destroyed at least 891 buildings in Derna, the country’s official news agency reported on Sunday, citing figures from a team assigned by the Libyan National Unity Government.
An additional 211 buildings were partially damaged and 398 others were submerged in mud, the report added, leaving a total of a quarter buildings damaged.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned on Sunday that the death toll from Derna alone could be as high as 11,300, with another 10,100 missing, a combined figure representing about 24 per cent of the city’s previous population, although the number of dead was disputed by the Libyan Red Crescent.
This crisis is beyond Libya’s capacity to manage … it goes beyond politics and borders
“These figures are expected to rise in the coming days and weeks as search-and-rescue crews work tirelessly to find survivors,” the OCHA report said.
“I left Derna today with a heavy heart, after witnessing the devastation caused by floods on lives and properties,” Abdoulaye Bathily, the top UN envoy to Libya, said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
“This crisis is beyond Libya’s capacity to manage, it goes beyond politics and borders.”
The Libyan Red Crescent, however, denied a UN death toll of over 10,000 and called on the media to “exercise caution and accuracy”.
The UN agency had attributed its figures to the Libyan organisation. But a spokesman for the latter voiced astonishment at the numbers and rejected them. “What are the sources of these numbers?” said Tawfiq al-Shukri.
“The official numbers are issued by the agency authorised by the Libyan authorities,” he added.
Conflicting accounts have emerged from Libya, which is divided between warring administrations in east and west, and questions are being asked as to why the disaster was not prevented, when cracks in the dams have been known about since 1998.
Earlier this week Derna’s mayor said it was possible up to 20,000 people had died there.
But on Saturday, the government based in the east of Libya put the number of officially registered deaths at 3,252.
Outside Derna, the flooding took an additional 170 lives, the UN said.
The National Centre for Disease Control reported that at least 55 children were poisoned as a result of drinking polluted water in Derna.
The catastrophe struck a country already roiled by years of war starting with the 2011 revolt that ousted dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Rival governments in the east and west that have battled for power since then say they are working together to provide help, while more than a dozen nations are offering aid, including rescue teams and money.
Politics slowing aid after Morocco quake, Libya flooding
But the constant turmoil means the Opec member nation, despite its oil wealth, has invested little in infrastructure, while ongoing divisions will complicate the rebuilding process.
Libya’s eastern authorities have committed at least 10 billion dinars (US$2.1 billion) to help Derna and other flood-hit areas. But already calls for accountability are mounting, potentially undercutting signs of a fledging new unity between the two governments.
The Tripoli-based UN-backed government in the west ordered the mayor of Derna removed, although it was unclear if he would step aside.
His work is in the east, which comes under the sway of a separate parliament and Khalifa Hifter, the leader of the Libyan National Army, the country’s most powerful military force.
Prosecutor general Al-Seddik Al-Sour has announced an investigation into the circumstances leading to the dams’ collapse.
Like much of Libya’s crumbling infrastructure, the structures, built to hold back water from Derna, fell into disrepair during years of neglect, conflict and division.
At least 40,000 people have been displaced across northeastern Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration, which cautioned the actual number is likely higher given the difficulty accessing the worst-affected areas.
A week on, bodies are still being found. International aid is arriving from the United Nations, Europe and the Middle East, offering some relief to the thousands of survivors.
The aid includes essential medicines and emergency surgical supplies, as well as body bags. Tents, blankets, carpets, hygiene kits and food have been flown in, as well as heavy machinery to help clear debris.
04:02
‘Figures are massive’: Libya begins counting the dead following catastrophic floods in Derna
Aid organisations have warned of the risks posed by leftover landmines and other unexploded ordnance, some of which the UN said has been shifted by floodwaters into areas previously declared clear.
The risks of waterborne diseases such as cholera are also high, according to aid groups.
To assist the hundreds of thousands of people in need, the UN has launched an appeal for more than US$71 million.
Survivors are glad to be alive, even as they mourn the loss of loved ones. “In this city, every single family has been affected,” said Derna resident Mohammad al-Dawali.
Seir Mohammed Seir, a member of the security forces, spoke of a three-month-old girl who lived through the tragedy.
“Her entire family died, she was the only one who survived.”
Additional reporting by Bloomberg, Reuters, dpa
