DERNA, Libya (AP) — The death toll from flooding that hit the eastern Libyan city of Derna reached more than 5,100 and was expected to rise further, a local health official said Wednesday, as authorities struggled to get aid to the coastal city where
Aid workers who managed to reach the city, which was cut off on Sunday night when flash floods washed away most of the access roads, described devastation in Derna's center. Search and rescue teams combed shattered apartment buildings for bodies and retrieved the dead floating offshore in the Mediterranean Sea.
Derna lies on a narrow coastal plain on the Mediterranean under steep mountains running along the coast. Only two roads from the south remain usable, and they involve a long, winding route through the mountains. At least 30,000 people in Derna were displaced by the flooding, the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration said, adding that the city remained almost inaccessible for humanitarian aid workers.
“The situation is indescribable. Entire families dead in this disaster. Some were washed away to the sea,” Abdalla said by phone from Derna. Authorities have transferred hundreds of bodies to morgues in nearby towns. More than 300, including 84 Egyptians, were brought to the morgue in the city of Tobruk, 169 kilometers east of Derna, the local Medical Center reported.
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.
The flood death toll in eastern Libya's city of Derna has surpassed 5,100, a health official saysDERNA, Libya (AP) — 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 »
The flood death toll in eastern Libya's city of Derna has surpassed 5,100, a health official saysDERNA, Libya (AP) — 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 »
The flood death toll in eastern Libya's city of Derna has surpassed 5,100, a health official saysDERNA, Libya (AP) — 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 »
Huge death toll from Libyan storm expected to climbBy Ayman al-Warfali and Ahmed Elumami NEAR DERNA, Libya (Reuters) - A desperate search for thousands of people missing after catastrophic flooding in ...
Read more »
Huge death toll from Libyan storm expected to climbBy Ayman al-Warfali and Ahmed Elumami NEAR DERNA, Libya (Reuters) - A desperate search for thousands of people missing after catastrophic flooding in ...
Read more »
Libyan city's death toll from devastating storm climbs to more than 5,000 peopleThe death toll from flooding that hit the eastern Libyan city of Derna reached more than 5,000 and was expected to rise further, a local health official said Wednesday, as authorities struggled to get aid to the coastal city where thousands remained missing and tens of thousands were homeless.
Read more »