• Sunday, 07 July 2024

Flood death toll rises to more than 11,000 in Libya's Derna, UN says

Flood death toll rises to more than 11,000 in Libya's Derna, UN says

Benghazi, 17 September 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The death toll following devastating flooding in Libya has risen to about 11,300 in the worst-hit city of Darna alone, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.

OCHA said another 10,100 were still missing in Derna, while an estimated 170 other people had been killed elsewhere in eastern Libya.

"These figures are expected to rise as search-and-rescue crews work tirelessly to find survivors," OCHA said.

Earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) said nearly 4,000 people who were killed in the floods had been identified.

A group of Libyan data analysts and researchers also said there had been around 4,000 confirmed deaths in a count on Saturday.

Conflicting figures have emerged from politically divided Libya, ranging from 5,000 to 11,000. Earlier in the week, the mayor of Derna had said up to 20,000 people could have died there.

A powerful storm dubbed Daniel hit Libya on Sunday September 10 after earlier lashing Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Two dams broke in the mountains above the port of Derna, washing away large areas of the city of 100,000 people.