Biblical flooding hit the Libyan city of Derna on Tuesday, sweeping away huge swaths of the city and killing at least 1,000 people.
More than 1,000 bodies have been recovered since early Tuesday, local time, as enormous flooding swept away buildings and destroyed more than a quarter of the city of Derna, according to Reuters. At least 10,000 people are currently missing, and officials expect the death toll to rise significantly in the coming hours and days.
The flooding is believed to have been caused when Storm Daniel swept across the Mediterranean down to the north African nation, which was already suffering under poor infrastructure due to a decade or more of ongoing conflict. Videos suggest that heavy rainfall caused dams to burst, allowing torrents of water to flood the region.
Derna, Libya Flood Disaster 🇱🇾
– 2,000+ people believed dead
– Hundreds of people are still missing
– Entire blocks of homes washed away
– Many bridges & roads destroyed
– City declared a “disaster zone”
– At least two confirmed dam failures
– Urgent int. response needed pic.twitter.com/fD2UgTpFPq— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) September 11, 2023
“I returned from Derna. It is very disastrous. Bodies are lying everywhere – in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings,” Minister of Civil Aviation Hichem Abu Chkiouat told Reuters. “The number of bodies recovered in Derna is more than 1,000 … I am not exaggerating when I say that 25% of the city has disappeared. Many, many buildings have collapsed.”
Later in the day, Chkiouat said more than 2,500 bodies had been recovered, but the number of missing persons was continuing to rise. (RELATED: Catastrophic Floods And Deadly Wildfires Strike Greece Within Days)
The moment of flood hits Derna in Libya.
– 1850+ people confirm dead.
– 5000+ people are still #missing
– Many bridges & roads destroyed
– Derna declared a “#disaster zone”
– At least two confirmed dam failures #StormDaniel #Libya #Daniel #Derna #jabalalakhdar #Hurricane #lee… pic.twitter.com/8Tx0OBiQ6k— Chaudhary Parvez (@ChaudharyParvez) September 12, 2023
A lack of resources in the war-torn nation is likely why the death toll is so high and continuing to rise, Reuters continued. The U.S. has agreed to send aid, as have other countries.