5,000 Feared Dead After Libya Floods

About 5,000 people have been killed and with over 10,000 missing in Libya in floods caused by a huge Mediterranean storm that burst dams, swept away buildings and wiped out as much as a quarter of the eastern coastal city of Derna.

An Ambulance Authority in Derna, the worst affected city, reportedly said.

Two dams and four bridges collapsed in Derna, submerging much of the city when Storm Daniel had hit on Sunday.

Hichem Abu Chkiouat, minister of civil aviation in the administration that controls the east, told a foreign media that: “Bodies are lying everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings.” 

“I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. Many, many buildings have collapsed,” Chkiouat stated.

Report says some aid has started to arrive, including from Egypt, but rescue efforts have been hampered by the political situation in Libya, with the country split between two rival governments.

It added that the US, Germany, Iran, Italy, Qatar and Turkey are among the countries that have said they have sent or are ready to send aid.