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Rescue workers are burying thousands of victims in mass graves as they grapple with the victims of devastating flooding in eastern Libya that has killed at least 5,500 people.
Libyan officials expect the death toll to continue to rise as they work to recover bodies in the coastal city of Derna, where the collapse of two dams has exacerbated flooding from storms that have battered the eastern Mediterranean.
“They (the victims) were buried in three mass graves. There was no time or space to bury them in individual graves,” said Osama Ali, spokesman for the Libyan Ambulance and Emergency Center. “We removed 500 bodies in one operation.”
Ali said the confirmed death toll had risen to 5,500 and could rise, adding that 10 square kilometers of Derna had been “completely destroyed” by the floods.
The city of 100,000 was hardest hit when Storm Daniel hit the North African country over the weekend, bringing heavy rains and strong winds that caused a dam to collapse.
Jan Friedez, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross mission in Libya, said seven-meter-high waves destroyed buildings across Derna and swept infrastructure into the sea.
“Family members are missing, bodies are washing up on the shore and houses are destroyed,” he said. “The city is facing tremendous emotional trauma.”
The dam’s destruction has thrust the Libyan state’s dysfunction into the spotlight since dictator Moammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011 in a popular uprising that turned into civil war.
The country has been plagued by chaos and conflict over the past decade, with hostile relations between eastern and western governments. The infrastructure is in a dilapidated state and government services are poor.
A report published last year by Libya’s Sabha University warned that the city’s dams were poorly maintained.
“The results obtained indicate that the study area is at risk of flooding,” the report said. “Therefore, immediate measures must be taken for routine maintenance of the dams, since in the event of major flooding, the consequences would be catastrophic for the residents of the valley and the city. ”
The report added that residents live in houses along the valley and “the matter calls for raising citizens’ awareness of the dangers of flooding and taking all necessary measures to ensure their safety”.
Videos and pictures posted on social media showed massive damage in Derna, with buildings reduced to rubble and vehicles overturned. Bodies in plastic body bags lined the ground.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Tuesday that 10,000 people were believed to be missing. The mayor of Derna told Al Arabiya television on Wednesday that the death toll could be as high as 20,000.
The International Organization for Migration said this week that 30,000 people have been forced from their homes in Derna and thousands more have been displaced in other cities.
Rescuers had difficulty reaching parts of Derna as main roads were washed away and turned into rivers. Power and communications in the city were also cut off.
According to the Associated Press, Osman Abdul Jalil, the health minister of the eastern Libyan government, said that as of Thursday morning, more than 3,000 victims had been buried and another 2,000 victims were being processed.
Egypt and Turkey have sent rescue teams to assist in post-disaster recovery, and the United States, Britain, and the United Nations have also provided emergency assistance.
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