Death Toll in Libya Flood Disaster Rises To 20,000

The Mayor of the Eastern Libya Port City of Derna estimates between 18,000 and 20,000 people have died as a result of the flood that hit the country.

The Mayor, Abdulmenam Al-ghaithi told Al-arabiya TV his estimate was based on the number of districts completely destroyed when two dams burst.

More than 5,000 people are known to have died, and at least 10,000 are missing. Streets were swept away in the torrents and bodies are being recovered from the sea.

Rescue teams have arrived from countries including Egypt, Tunisia, Italy, Spain and Turkey.

Libya’s two rival governments, the internationally-recognized government of national unity and the eastern Libya government, have both been undertaking response efforts in the flood-afflicted eastern Libya.

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Reports have suggested that a quarter of the city of Derna – which has a population of around 100,000 – have been obliterated by the flooding.

An official with the UN’s World Health Organisation in Libya said the fatalities could reach 7,000, given the number of people still missing.

“The numbers could surprise and shock all of us,” the official, who was not authorised to brief media and spoke on condition of anonymity, told AP.

The storm also killed around 170 people in other parts of eastern Libya, including the towns of Bayda, Susa, Um Razaz and Marj, the health minister said.