More than 2,000 people have died and at least 10,000 are missing in Libya in floods sparked by a huge Mediterranean storm that burst dams, Reuters reported Tuesday.
Storm Daniel has destroyed vehicles and damaged buildings in the eastern city of Derna, about 290 kilometers east of Benghazi, and officials fear that the death toll could rise. Mohamad al-Qabisi, director of the Wahda Hospital, said 1,700 people had died in one of Derna’s two districts while 500 had been killed in the other.
“Bodies are lying everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings,” Hichem Abu Chkiouat, minister of civil aviation in the administration that controls the east, told Reuters. “I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. Many, many buildings have collapsed.”
The eastern cities of Benghazi, Soussa and Al-Marj have also been affected by Sunday’s storm, including Misrata in the west, BBC reported.
Libya is split between two rival governments, making rescue efforts difficult, BBC added. Even though the internationally recognized government in Tripoli does not control eastern areas, it has sent aid to Derna, according to Reuters.
The U.S., Germany, Iran, Italy, Qatar, Turkey, and Egypt are also sending aid.
Click here to watch the video of the destroyed dam that contributed to the flooding, wiping out about a quarter of Derna, home to over 100,000 people.
