Residents who survived devastating flooding in the Libyan east coast town of Derna faced the threat of scattered landmines in surrounding areas on Sunday.
Residents said they had to consider whether to wade through areas where landmines had been displaced by raging torrents that swept away entire families after this week’s floods.
Many had to travel across the areas because they had no fresh water in their homes as the floods contaminated local water sources. On Saturday, a local official reported at least 150 cases of diarrhea.
“Under no circumstances is it allowed to use normal drinking water in Derna as the percentage of contamination is very high,” Haider al-Sayeh, director of Libya’s National Center for Disease Control, said in a video statement.
The Portal news agency reported that around a quarter of all buildings in Derna were estimated to have been affected by flooding. At least 891 buildings were completely destroyed and 398 were submerged in mud.
Libya counts casualties as search for missing people continues
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The death toll is in the thousands
Rescue operations are ongoing to search for survivors in the rubble after a devastating storm breached two dams in Derna on Sunday.
The death toll is in the thousands, with aid organizations giving different numbers. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said at least 11,300 people had died in the floods so far and over 10,000 were missing in Derna.
These figures have been disputed by authorities and the Libyan Red Crescent, and given the extent of the destruction and the political situation in the country, it is not clear exactly how many people lost their lives in the floods.
The oil-rich North African country has been in turmoil since the fall of longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country is divided between rival governments in the east and west, and the governments have no track record of working together.
A number of countries, including Egypt, Germany, Israel and Russia, have sent aid, but their delivery has also been hampered due to widespread destruction of roads.
Rescue teams are searching for survivors in the port city of Derna in eastern Libya. Image: Hamza Turkia/Xinhua/IMAGO
UN agencies have repeatedly highlighted concerns about a lack of basic needs among residents and warned of the risk of a disease outbreak.
According to the United Nations, at least 1,000 people have been buried so far. In Derna, sacked bodies pile up on the streets as authorities try to bury them.
Most of the deaths could have been avoided if authorities had put in place better warning systems, the United Nations weather agency said earlier this week.
Greek rescue workers killed
It was announced later on Sunday that four Greek rescue workers sent to Libya died in a road accident on Sunday, Tripoli’s health minister said.
Rescue workers from Greece, Turkey, Egypt and other countries flocked to the port city to offer help.
On Sunday, a bus carrying 19 Greek rescue workers collided head-on with a vehicle carrying five Libyan nationals on the road between the cities of Benghazi and Derna, Health Minister Othman Abduljaleel said. Three Libyans in the oncoming vehicle were also killed.
Seven of the surviving Greek rescue workers were in critical condition in hospital, the minister said.
Investigation of a dam breach
Officials have launched an investigation into the collapse of two dams that released a massive torrent of water into Derna.
Minister Osama Hammad, who was appointed by the House of Representatives to lead the investigation, said the probe would examine how funds earmarked for the maintenance of the dams were mishandled.
There were also questions about reports of two cracks in one of the dams, which had reportedly been known since 1998.
ab, rm, jsi/sms (AFP, dpa, Portal)