The death toll from the floods in Libya is increasing rapidly. According to representatives of the Libyan Red Crescent, over 11,000 people have been confirmed dead so far, and almost as many are missing. People who managed to survive lack food and shelter.
The Libyan Red Crescent said on Thursday that the death toll from floods in the eastern city of Derna had risen to 11,300. The organization’s secretary general, Marie el-Drese, said another 10,100 people had been reported missing in the city. Previous reports put the death toll at 5,500.
Help for disaster victims
The cause of the disaster was the downpours that hit the country on Sunday and Monday. Swollen rivers broke dams, flooding the city of Derna. Hundreds of bodies have been buried since the disaster, sometimes in mass graves. At the same time, according to Libyan media, dozens of people trapped under the rubble of houses were rescued.
Derna after the disastrous floodPAP/EPA/Mohamed Shalash
More foreign aid arrived in Libya on Thursday, but access to the disaster area remains extremely difficult due to the destruction of roads and bridges, as well as water damage to power and telephone lines in large areas. At least 30,000 people are homeless.
The International Committee of the Red Cross announced Thursday that it was sending additional teams to the region to distribute humanitarian aid. He also added that he “also delivered 6,000 body bags.” The World Food Program announced that it has started delivering aid to more than 5,000 families displaced by the floods. It was emphasized that “thousands of families in Derna currently have no food or shelter.”
Main photo source: ENEX/Planet Labs PBC