The collapse of two dams caused by a huge Mediterranean storm in the coastal town of Derna, eastern Libya, unleashed a massive flash flood that killed over 6000 people.
“Bodies are everywhere, inside houses, in the streets, at sea. Wherever you go, you find dead men, women, and children,” Emad al-Falah, an aid worker from Benghazi, said over the phone from Derna. “Entire families were lost.”
The significant damage to infrastructure in the region has made some of the most affected regions inaccessible to humanitarian groups. Only two out of the seven entry points to Derna now available.
It is now being reported that around 10,000 are missing, potentially either swept out to sea or buried beneath rubble that’s strewn throughout the city once home to over 100,000 people, authorities say.
We will bury according to Sharia standards
Libya’s Minister of State for cabinet affairs, Adel Juma, said “The Shuhadaa committee has been set up to identify the missing people and to implement procedures for identification and burial of in accordance with Sharia principles “. However, the destruction caused by the storm has made the situation even worse for rescuers who are trying to clear roads and debris to find survivors.
Derna is the epic centre of the humanitarian crisis
The deadly floods affected several cities across the region, but Derna suffered the most damage after two dams collapsed, washing entire neighborhoods into the rising sea.
“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 region of the country. “I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. Many, many buildings have collapsed.”
The destruction in Derna is massive. There are massively wrecked neighbourhoods, their buildings washed out and cars flipped on their roofs in streets covered in mud and rubble left by a wide torrent after dams the dams collapsed.
*Countries and organisations are rushing in to help*
Turkish aircraft delivering humanitarian aid arrived in Libya on Tuesday, according to Turkey’s Emergency Management Authority (AFAD). President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country would send 168 search and rescue teams and humanitarian aid to Benghazi.
Eight Algerian army aircraft carrying humanitarian aid, including food and medical supplies, clothing and tents also landed in Libya on Wednesday.
The European Union also released an initial €500,000 ($540,000) in humanitarian funding, after Libyan authorities called for international aid and the United Nations has also called for more aids for the disaster stricken region.