Emergency Crews Hasten to Locate Victims in Libyan City Where Over 5,000 Perished Due to Catastrophic Flooding Following Dam Failures

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Rescue teams tirelessly scoured neighborhoods, demolished structures, and even extended their search to the sea on Wednesday, in a quest to recover bodies in a Libyan port city where a catastrophic flood event, triggered by the failure of two dams, claimed no fewer than 5,100 lives.

The inundation on Sunday evening severely impacted the Mediterranean city of Derna by rendering most of its access roads unusable. Humanitarian workers who were able to penetrate the city reported widespread annihilation in its core areas, with an undetermined number of people still unaccounted for and tens of thousands without shelter.

“Deceased individuals are omnipresent—within residential structures, on public thoroughfares, and even in the ocean. The scale of loss is staggering, with entire families perishing,” conveyed Emad al-Falah, a Benghazi-based relief worker, via a telephone conversation from Derna.

Mediterranean storm Daniel was the catalyst for lethal flooding across several municipalities in eastern Libya on Sunday, but Derna suffered the most devastating blow. The dams situated in the mountainous terrain above the city gave way, sending a torrential deluge down the Wadi Derna River, devastating the city center and obliterating entire blocks.

Additional Context on the Libyan Flooding Crisis

• The Cyclone that Shattered Libya: Is Climate Change to Blame?
• The Fragmented State of Libya: An Exacerbating Factor in the Flooding Crisis
• How to Extend Support to Those Afflicted by Natural Disasters in Morocco and Libya

Rescue agencies indicate that up to one-fourth of the city has been decimated. Waves surged to a staggering height of 7 meters (approximately 23 feet), according to Yann Fridez, who leads the International Committee of the Red Cross delegation in Libya, as he spoke to France24.

Teacher Mohammed Derna recounted how he and his family, along with neighbors, took refuge on the rooftop of their apartment complex, shocked by the sheer volume of water that engulfed the city. Floodwaters reached the second levels of numerous structures, carrying away residents including women and children.

Derna’s geographical location exacerbates its vulnerability; it sits on a narrow littoral plain, bordered by steep mountain ranges. The remaining operational routes from the south navigate through serpentine mountain passes.

Damaged bridges over the Wadi Derna river have severed the city, causing additional impediments to movement.

Ossama Ali, a spokesperson for an ambulance service in eastern Libya, confirmed a death toll of at least 5,100 in Derna, along with approximately 100 casualties in other eastern regions. Over 7,000 individuals in the city sustained injuries, and the UN’s International Organization for Migration stated that at least 30,000 residents have been displaced due to the flood.

The mortality count is expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue, according to authorities. Communications restoration may also refine the current figure of at least 9,000 missing persons.

International support from neighboring countries such as Egypt, Algeria, and Tunisia, as well as from more distant nations like Turkey, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and Germany, has started to arrive in the form of rescue teams and vital supplies including blankets, tents, and generators. The U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged financial aid and logistical cooperation with Libyan officials and UN agencies.

This devastating event underscores not only the ferocity of the storm but also highlights Libya’s inherent vulnerabilities—stemming from a fractured governance system and neglected infrastructure, which have left its populace susceptible to such calamities.

Ahmed Abdalla, a survivor who has joined the ongoing search operations, described the situation as “beyond words,” revealing that the remains of the deceased were being temporarily placed in hospital courtyards before being interred in mass graves at Derna’s only remaining cemetery.

Derna, located 250 kilometers (around 150 miles) to the east of Benghazi, began receiving international aid on Tuesday. It is currently under the control of military commander Khalifa Hifter and his eastern-based Libyan government. The opposing administration, headquartered in Tripoli, governs the western regions of the country.

Derna had previously served as a breeding ground for extremist factions in the ensuing years of disorder after the 2011 NATO-endorsed insurrection, which culminated in the overthrow and subsequent death of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

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Reported by Magdy from Cairo. Contributions from Big Big News Writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Derna Libya catastrophic flooding

More about Derna Libya catastrophic flooding

• Understanding the political divisions in Libya
• Libya’s infrastructure challenges
• Climate change and extreme weather events
• Mediterranean Storms and their impact
• International Committee of the Red Cross in Libya
• United Nations’ International Organization for Migration
• Profile of military commander Khalifa Hifter
• History of natural disasters in Libya
• Global responses to natural disasters
• Wadi Derna river geography and significance