The city of Derna has buried thousands of people in mass graves, Libyan officials said Thursday, as search teams scoured ruins left by devastating floods and the city’s mayor said that the death toll could triple or more.
Here's a look at the latest developments.. As the storm pounded the coast Sunday night, residents said they heard loud explosions when the dams outside the city collapsed. Floodwaters washed down Wadi Derna, a valley that cuts through the city, crashing through buildings and washing people out to sea.The startling devastation reflected the storm’s intensity, but also Libya’s vulnerability.
While the Tobruk-based government of east Libya is leading relief efforts, the Tripoli-based western government allocated the equivalent of $412 million for reconstruction in Derna and other eastern towns, and an armed group in Tripoli sent a convoy with humanitarian aid.Derna has begun burying its dead, mostly in mass graves, said eastern Libya’s health minister, Othman Abduljaleel.
Untold numbers could be buried under drifts of mud and debris, including overturned cars and chunks of concrete, that rise up to four meters high. Rescuers have struggled to bring in heavy equipment as the floods washed out or blocked roads leading to the area.as of Wednesday. The number of deaths was likely to climb as searches are continuing, and at least 9,000 people are still missing, said Ossama Ali, a spokesman for an ambulance center in eastern Libya.
The storm also killed around 170 people in other parts of eastern Libya, including the towns of Bayda, Susa, Um Razaz and Marj, the health minister said.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Flood death toll in Libya's Derna city could reach 20,000Toll could reach 18,000 to 20,000, based on number of wiped-out districts, says Abdulmenam al Ghaithi, mayor of eastern city.
Read more »
More than 5,100 dead in Libya after devastating floods in Derna: ‘The human toll is enormous'A local health official in eastern Libya says the flood death toll in the city of Derna has risen to more than 5,100.Ossama Ali, a spokesman for the Ambulance and Emergency Center in the eastern Libya, said the toll for entire region is at least 5,202.Ali told The Associated Press by phone on Wednesday that more than 7,000 people were injured in Derna and most of them received treatment at field hospitals that authorities and aid agencies set up there.He says the number of deaths is likely to increase in the coastal city since search and rescue teams are still collecting bodies from the streets, buildings and the sea.
Read more »
More than 5,000 dead in Libya after devastating floods in Derna: ‘The human toll is enormous'A local health official in eastern Libya says the flood death toll in the city of Derna has risen to more than 5,100.Ossama Ali, a spokesman for the Ambulance and Emergency Center in the eastern Libya, said the toll for entire region is at least 5,202.Ali told The Associated Press by phone on Wednesday that more than 7,000 people were injured in Derna and most of them received treatment at field hospitals that authorities and aid agencies set up there.He says the number of deaths is likely to increase in the coastal city since search and rescue teams are still collecting bodies from the streets, buildings and the sea.
Read more »
Death toll surpasses 5,100 in Libya's city of Derna after devastating floods: ‘Bodies are everywhere'A local health official in eastern Libya says the flood death toll in the city of Derna has risen to more than 5,100
Read more »
Libya floods destroyed quarter of Derna city, death toll rises to 5,300Amid the soaring death toll there have been some positive signs that Libya’s warring rival governments have put aside their differences to deal with the crisis.
Read more »