Flood death toll soars to 11,300 in Libya's Derna

Marie el-Drese, secretary general of the aid group, said an additional 10,100 people were reported missing in Libya. Health authorities had previously put the death toll in Derna at 5,500. The storm also killed about 170 people elsewhere in the country.

The number of people killed by terrorists in Libya has soared to more than 11,300 and could rise further. Image 1 — Derna, Libya after the floods. Photo: ABC

Floodwaters swept away entire neighborhoods in the city of Derna on the evening of September 10. Here is a summary of what we know about the situation in Libya.

What happened?

Daniel, an unusually strong Mediterranean storm, has caused deadly flooding in communities across eastern Libya, but the worst affected area is Derna.

As the storm hit the coast on Sunday evening (September 10), residents said they heard a loud explosion as two dams outside the city burst. Floodwaters rushed down Wadi Derna, a valley that cuts through the city, through buildings and swept people out to sea.

Most of the casualties were avoidable, a UN official said on September 14.

“If the meteorological service was functioning properly, they could have issued a warning,” World Meteorological Organization (WMO) chief Petteri Taalas told reporters in Geneva. “Emergency management authorities could have carried out the evacuation.”

The WMO said earlier this week that the National Meteorological Center issued a 72-hour warning ahead of the flood, notifying all government agencies via email and media.

Officials in eastern Libya warned people about the storm and on September 9 ordered people to evacuate coastal areas because of rising sea levels. But there was no warning of a dam breach.

How does conflict affect?

The staggering devastation reflects the intensity of the storm but also the vulnerability of Libya. Libya has been divided for much of the past decade, with two separate governments in the east and west often at odds with each other, causing hardship for the population.

The two dams that collapsed outside Derna were built in the 1970s. A 2021 state audit report said the dams were still not being maintained despite more than €2 million being allocated for the purpose in 2012.

The prime minister of the Tripoli-based government, Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah, acknowledged the maintenance problems at a Cabinet meeting on September 14 and called on the Public Prosecutor to open an urgent investigation into the dam collapse.

While the eastern Libyan government based in Tobruk is leading the relief efforts, the western government based in Tripoli has allocated the equivalent of $412 million to rebuild Derna and other eastern towns, and an armed group in Tripoli has sent a convoy of humanitarian aid.

Current situation

Eastern Libyan Health Minister Othman Abduljaleel said on September 14 that Derna had begun burying the dead, mostly in mass graves.

The minister said more than 3,000 bodies had been buried as of the morning of September 14, while more than 2,000 others were still being processed.

Rescue teams were still searching inside collapsed buildings in the city centre and divers were scouring the waters off Derna, Mr Abduljaleel said.

The figure does not include those buried under mud and debris, including overturned cars and concrete blocks up to 4 metres high. Rescuers are struggling to get heavy equipment to affected areas.

Casualty situation

As of September 14, the Libyan Red Crescent said 11,300 people had been killed and more than 10,100 were reported missing. However, local officials said the death toll could be much higher than the official figures.

In comments to Saudi-owned Al Arabia television on September 14, Derna Mayor Abdel-Moneim al-Ghaithi said the number could reach 20,000 as some surrounding areas were also washed away.

The eastern Libyan health minister said the storm also killed about 170 people in other areas, including the towns of Bayda, Susa, Um Razaz and Marj.

Trung Kien (according to Reuters)

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