Noos News•
In the Libyan coastal city of Derna, about nine hundred buildings collapsed as a result of the natural disaster that occurred a week ago. This was reported by the government of western Libya, headquartered in the capital, Tripoli. Hundreds of other buildings were damaged or buried under mud.
As a result of the storm, large amounts of rain fell over a short period in eastern Libya last week. As a result, two dams near the coastal city collapsed, triggering floods and mudslides.
Earlier, eyewitnesses said that a quarter of the city was destroyed as a result of Storm Daniel. In many places in Derna, cars are lying on their sides or even completely upside down.
Bodies washed up on shore
Relief workers (foreigners) are still searching for bodies in the disaster area. Bodies of victims that had previously been washed away by water They now wash up on shore.
The death toll in Derna has been revised upwards again. According to the latest figures issued by the United Nations, 11,300 victims have been counted so far. Earlier this week, the Libyan Red Crescent, the sister organization of the Red Cross, reported that the number of deaths had risen to more than 11,000, but this later became unclear. In addition, at least 10,000 people are still missing.
Emergency services are extremely concerned that the disaster will cause an increase in the number of water-borne diseases, such as cholera, in the near future.
Middle East correspondent Daisy Mohr and photographer Edmie van Rijn arrive in the devastated city of Derna.
Correspondent Daisy Mohr in the disaster area in Libya: “More than a quarter of Derna is destroyed”
Yesterday, authorities announced an investigation into the dam breaches, which experts say are partly due to Libya’s poorly maintained infrastructure. The dams were built in the 1970s, and although millions of dollars were released for maintenance ten years ago, this has not happened.
It is unclear exactly how the investigation into the dams should take shape. Since the overthrow of dictator Gaddafi in 2011, the country has been in a political crisis.
The country has de facto two governments: the east is in the hands of General Haftar. He lives in the city of Benghazi, which was also severely affected by the natural disaster. Prime Minister Dabaiba’s internationally recognized government operates from the capital, Tripoli, in the west. Both can count on the support of powerful foreign countries such as Türkiye and Russia.