DERNA: Shipments of international aid arrived in Libya, mainly from the United Arab Emirates and Iran, on Saturday, offering a lifeline to thousands despite dwindling hopes of finding more survivors days after deadly flash floods. The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced 29 tonnes of aid had arrived in the eastern city of Benghazi. The North African country is currently ruled by two rival administrations that have battled for power since a Nato-backed uprising toppled and killed Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. The WHO claimed that the “bodies of 3,958 people have been recovered and identified”, with 9,000 more still missing. The prosecutor vowed to deal firmly with those responsible for poor condition of the two dams, which had been built “to protect Derna from floods”.

September 17, 2023 02:32 UTC

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September 17, 2023 01:46 UTC

The search continues after heavy rains from Mediterranean Storm Daniel caused catastrophic flooding across eastern Libya. In Libya’s coastal city of Derna, which is prone to flooding, entire neighborhoods were washed away. According to the Libyan Red Crescent, the death toll has surpassed 11,000 as search and rescue teams from around the world look for bodies and possible survivors. SEE MORE: A visual investigation into why thousands died in Libya floodingLibya’s chief prosecutor has ordered an investigation into the collapse of the two dams. Haider al-Saeih, head of Libya's disease combat center, reported 150 cases of diarrhea in Derna due to contaminated water and urged the use of bottled water.

September 16, 2023 22:54 UTC

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September 16, 2023 22:00 UTC

An aid worker on the ground in Libya reflects on the devastating floodingSCOTT SIMON, HOST:It has been a horrible week in the northeast of Libya. BASHIR BEN AMER: Thank you. The city, the whole city, the city center that was on the coastal area that was - unfortunately doesn't exist anymore today. We're speaking about a city that's - its infrastructure is completely destructed - water, electricity, telecommunication, schools. So, yes, you can imagine how horrible is it and overwhelming as well for the rescue teams, for the aid teams and for everyone.

September 16, 2023 21:55 UTC





Mr Hassan said he was awakened by the screams of people at around 3.30am local time on Monday. He woke his son sleeping nearby in their apartment, less than 100 metres from Derna's shoreline and quickly went up to the roof. We hope to find survivors, but our main mission is to help the Libyans find and recover their bodies. Another volunteer, Hassan Humaid, also arrived from Tripoli and said Libyans were grateful for the help from their Arab brothers. “Libyans, especially from Derna, had experienced so much for so many decades but they’re a resilient people.

September 16, 2023 20:36 UTC

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September 16, 2023 20:34 UTC

Heavy rains caused by Mediterranean storm Daniel caused deadly flooding across eastern Libya last weekend. “It was a big number … the sea is still ejecting lots of dead bodies unfortunately,” she told The Associated Press. Since 2014, eastern Libya has been under the control of Gen. Khalifa Hifter and his self-styled Libyan National Army. But there was no warning about the dams, which collapsed early Monday as most residents were asleep in their homes. A Turkish firm was contracted in 2007 to carry out maintainence on the two dams and build another dam in between.

September 16, 2023 19:52 UTC

Heavy rains caused by Mediterranean storm Daniel caused deadly flooding across eastern Libya last weekend. DERNA, LIBYA - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of devastated area after the floods caused by the Storm Daniel ravaged the region in Derna, Libya on September 15, 2023. At least 6,000 people were killed and thousands of others remain missing due to last weekend's floods in eastern Libya, according to official figures. DERNA, LIBYA - SEPTEMBER 15: A view of graves of those who lost their lives in the flood caused by the Storm Daniel ravaged in Derna, Libya on September 15, 2023. Since 2014, eastern Libya has been under the control of Gen. Khalifa Hifter and his self-styled Libyan National Army.

September 16, 2023 19:47 UTC

"This is a disaster of epic proportions," Dr. Ahmed Zouiten, a WHO representative in Libya, said in a statement. The Libyan Red Crescent said Friday that at least 11,300 people have died and another 10,100 were reported missing. Eastern Libya's health minister, Othman Abduljaleel, meanwhile said Friday the number of recorded deaths stood at 3,166. An assessment team visiting Derna on Thursday said people were returning to what was left of their homes in desperation. The group's medical coordinator for Libya said the situation is chaotic with volunteers coming from everywhere in Libya to help, leaving an enormous need for coordination.

September 16, 2023 19:01 UTC

But watching them does prepare you for the scale of the damage the floods have done to this place. The line of the river now gapes like an open wound, perhaps a hundred metres across in places. On these mounds of mud, nothing at all remains. It's a barren wasteland.

September 16, 2023 18:53 UTC

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September 16, 2023 18:11 UTC

Read: Photos from Libya’s devastating floodsDerna has become an emblem of ills that afflict many of Libya’s 7 million inhabitants: infrastructural decay, economic neglect, unpreparedness for global warming. Derna’s officials and Haftar’s military authority reportedly issued contradictory instructions as the storm approached: Some advised an evacuation and others ordered a curfew. But Haftar’s style of rule—kleptocratic, authoritarian, extractive—has made for poor stewardship of eastern Libya’s infrastructure and natural environment, leaving other communities vulnerable to climate-induced extreme weather events as well. The authority has taken control of eastern Libya’s agriculture, energy, and construction, with dire consequences for the environment. Those that hit the eastern city of Al-Bayda in late 2020 displaced thousands of people.

September 16, 2023 17:13 UTC

VALLETTA : A Maltese rescue team found hundreds of dead bodies on a beach in the flood-stricken Libyan city of Derna on Friday, the Malta Civil Protection Department said on Saturday. "There were probably about 400, but it is difficult to say," Natalino Bezzina, who is leading the Maltese team, told the Times of Malta newspaper. Malta deployed a team of 72 rescuers from the army and the civil protection department on Wednesday. Bezzina told Maltese media that a small CPD team came across the cave that was half submerged and found bodies inside. Then they came across a small bay filled with debris and several hundred dead bodies.

September 16, 2023 16:40 UTC

DERNA, Libya – Aid groups are warning of a growing risk of disease in the wake of deadly flooding that hit eastern Libya on Sept 10. Hopes are meanwhile dwindling of finding more survivors after torrential rain triggered by a hurricane-strength storm hit the area. The flood submerged the port city of Derna, washing thousands of people and homes out to sea. “This is a disaster of epic proportions,” said Mr Ahmed Zouiten, the WHO’s representative in Libya. Islamic Relief warned of a second humanitarian crisis after the flood, pointing to the growing risk of waterborne diseases and shortages of food, shelter and medicine.

September 16, 2023 16:35 UTC