More than 5,000 people are believed to be dead and 10,000 missing after storm rains in northeastern Libya caused two dams to collapse, CNN reported Tuesday, citing Tamer Ramadan, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ delegation to Libya.
“The death toll is enormous,” she said.
At least 5,300 people are believed dead, Libya’s interior ministry in the eastern administration said Tuesday, state media LANA reported. CNN was unable to independently verify the number of dead or missing.
Some 6,000 people remain missing in the eastern city of Derna, which suffered the worst destruction, Osman Abduljalil, the health minister of Libya’s eastern administration, told Almasar TV. He called the situation “catastrophic” after touring the city on Monday. According to authorities, entire neighborhoods in the city have been washed away.
Hospitals in Derna are no longer operating and morgues are overcrowded, emergency services spokesman Osama Ali said. Corpses were being left outside morgues on sidewalks, he said.
“There are no emergency services. People are currently working to collect rotting bodies,” said Anas Barghati, a doctor who is currently volunteering in Derna.
Storm Danielle, which hit several towns in northeastern Libya, was the result of a cyclone that caused catastrophic flooding in Greece last week and then spread to the Mediterranean Sea. The storm caused two dams to collapse, causing water to rush toward Derna, causing catastrophic damage, authorities said Tuesday.
“Three bridges were destroyed. The flow of water carried away entire neighborhoods, eventually dumping them into the sea,” said Ahmed Mismari, a spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA).
Libya’s vulnerability to extreme weather has been exacerbated by a protracted political conflict and power struggle between two rival administrations.
The UN-backed Government of National Unity (GNU) led by Abdulhamid Dbeibe sits in Tripoli in northwestern Libya, while its eastern rival is controlled by Commander Khalifa Haftar and his LNA, who support the east-based parliament. led by Osama Hamad.
Derna, about 300 kilometers east of Benghazi, falls under the control of Haftar and his eastern administration.
