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Search operations continue in flood-ravaged areas of Derna city following the failure of two dams. But the chances of finding survivors are slim.
Published on September 17, 2023 8:36 am Updated on September 17, 2023 8:41 am
Reading time: 1 min
The rubble of collapsed buildings after floods in Derna (Libya), September 14, 2023. (ABDULLAH DOMA / AFP)
A week after the floods in Libya, the extent of the victims is becoming increasingly clear. At least 11,300 people have died and about 10,100 residents are still missing in the city of Derna and 170 others in the east of the country, according to a new report released on Saturday by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs as of September 16 Calling on the Libyan Red Crescent. The latter had already mentioned such an assessment to the American agency AP on Thursday.
“These numbers are expected to rise as search and rescue teams operate around the clock,” the UN office warned. Other institutions reported lower death tolls on Saturday: the health minister of the eastern Libyan government spoke of 3,252 deaths; For its part, the World Health Organization reported 3,958 bodies found and more than 9,000 missing.
On the night of Sunday, September 10, to Monday, September 11, Storm Daniel caused heavy rains and the breach of two dams upstream of Derna, a city of 100,000, resulting in a flash flood that devastated several neighborhoods.
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