5,300 Are Feared Dead, More Are Missing As Libya Is Devastated By Floods

"CAIRO — Emergency workers uncovered more than 1,500 bodies in the wreckage of Libya’s eastern city of Derna on Tuesday, and it was feared the toll could spiral with 10,000 people reported still missing after floodwaters smashed through dams and washed away entire neighborhoods of the city.

The death toll in Derna alone has exceeded 5,300, the state-run news agency quoted Mohammed Abu-Lamousha, a spokesman for the east Libya interior ministry, as saying Tuesday. Derna’s ambulance authority earlier put the toll at 2,300.

The startling death and devastation wreaked by Mediterranean storm Daniel pointed to the storm’s intensity, but also the vulnerability of a nation torn apart by chaos for more than a decade. The country is divided by rival governments, one in the east, the other in the west, and the result has been neglect of infrastructure in many areas."

Samy Magdy reports for the Associated Press September 12, 2023.

SEE ALSO:

"Libya Floods Updates: Thousands Dead, Missing In Derna After Storm Daniel" (Aljazeera)

"Cyclone That Devastated Libya Is Latest Extreme Event With Some Hallmarks Of Climate Change" (AP)

"Mediterranean's Devastating Storm Daniel May Be Harbinger Of Storms To Come" (Reuters)

"In Photos, Videos: Libya Floods Bring ‘Catastrophe’ To Derna" (Washington Post)

Source: AP, 09/13/2023