More than 5000 people died in Libya due to flood
1 min read
Search teams went through streets, destroyed buildings, and even the sea on Wednesday to look for bodies in a coastal Libyan city where at least 5,100 people died when two dams broke.
Most roads to the Mediterranean city of Derna were washed away by the rain on Sunday night, making it hard for people to get help. Aid workers who were able to get to the city said that the centre was destroyed, and that thousands of people were still missing and tens of thousands were left without homes.
“There are dead bodies everywhere: in houses, on the streets, and at sea. Aid worker Emad al-Falah from Benghazi said over the phone from Derna, “Everywhere you go, you find dead men, women, and children.” “Families as a whole were lost.”
Sunday, the Mediterranean storm Daniel caused floods that killed people in many towns in eastern Libya. Derna was the worst-hit town. Two dams in the mountains above the city broke, causing floods to rush down the Wadi Derna river and through the city centre, destroying whole city blocks.
Emergency workers say that as much as a fifth of the city is gone.
Yann Fridez, who is in charge of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Libya, told France24 that the waves got as high as 7 metres (23 feet).
Mohammed Derna, a teacher in the city, said that he, his family and neighbours all ran to the roof of their apartment building when they saw how much water was moving by. He said that it went up to the second floor of many houses. People, including women and children, were being washed away below.
You can now buy us a coffee if you like our works:Â https://www.buymeacoffee.com/itup
