Rescuers retrieve over 2,000 bodies in eastern Libya as 10,000 remain missing after devastating floods

Overturned cars lay among other debris caused by flash floods in Derna, eastern Libya, on September 11, 2023. The death toll from freak floods in eastern Libya is expected to soar dramatically, with 10,000 people reported missing, the Red Cross warned on September 12. Photo AFP

Rescuers have found more than 2,000 bodies as of Wednesday in the wreckage of a Libyan city where floodwaters broke dams and washed away neighbourhoods. Officials fear the death toll could exceed 5,000 in the nation as over 10,000 still remain missing.

Mediterranean storm Daniel caused deadly flooding in many eastern towns, but the worst-hit was Derna. As the storm pounded the coast Sunday night, Derna residents said they heard loud explosions when the dams outside the city collapsed. Floodwaters washed down Wadi Derna, a river running from the mountains through the city and into the sea.

More than 2,000 corpses were collected as of Wednesday morning and over half of them had been buried in mass graves in Derna, said eastern Libya's health minister, Othman Abduljaleel. Rescue teams were working day and night to recover many other bodies scattered in the streets and under the rubble in the city. Some bodies were retrieved from the sea.

The floods damaged or destroyed many access roads to Derna, hampering the arrival of international rescue teams and humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of people whose homes were destroyed or damaged.

The situation in Derna, the Libyan port city where two dams burst over the weekend, has been described as "disastrous beyond comprehension", as the Red Cross and local officials said at least 10,000 people were missing after the devastating floods.

Also read: In Photos: 10,000 missing after Libya floods

The confirmed death toll has exceeded 5,300, Mohammed Abu-Lamousha, a spokesperson for the administration that controls the east of Libya told a state-run news agency late on Tuesday. Tariq al-Kharraz, another representative of the eastern government, said that entire neighbourhoods had been washed away, with many bodies swept out to sea.

Local emergency responders, including troops, government workers, volunteers and residents continued digging through rubble looking for the dead. They also used inflatable boats and helicopters to retrieve bodies from the water and inaccessible areas.

Bulldozers worked over the past two days to fix and clear roads to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid and heavy equipment urgently needed for the search and rescue operations. The city is 250 kilometres east of Benghazi, where international aid started to arrive on Tuesday.

Authorities have transferred hundreds of bodies to morgues in nearby towns. In the city of Tobruk, is 169 kilometers east of Derna, the Medical Centre of Tobruk's morgue received more than 300 bodies for people killed in the Derna flooding; among them were 84 Egyptians, according to a list of dead obtained by The Associated Press.

Video footage circulating on social media showed people pleading for help and screaming as muddy water engulfed their homes. Other video captured torrents sweeping away cars on streets, which had turned into rivers.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said tens of thousands of people had been displaced with no prospect of going back home.

"Our team in Libya is reporting a disastrous situation for some of the most impoverished communities along the north coast. Entire villages have been overwhelmed by the floods and the death toll continues to rise," it said.

Desperate citizens were appealing on social media for information about missing relatives. Many were angry at the slow pace of the relief effort, and of local authorities' failure to warn that the dams were at risk of bursting. (Additional reporting by Associated Press)