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The death toll from devastating flooding in Libya’s eastern coastal city of Derna has risen to at least 11,300, according to a UN report released Saturday, even as continuing search efforts are expected to find more victims.
A further 170 people have been killed outside of Derna due to the flooding, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said.
In Derna alone, at least 10,100 people remain missing.
“These figures are expected to rise as search-and-rescue crews work tirelessly to find survivors,” it added.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Aisha, 51, who said she lost five family members when the deadly storm hit her city, reacts as she walks past destroyed houses, in Derna, Libya on Sunday.
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A car is half burried following floods in Derna, Libya, on September 16.
More than 40,000 people have been displaced across northeastern Libya since the extreme rainfall brought by Storm Daniel, the UN says.
Experts say the storm’s impact was greatly exacerbated by a lethal confluence of factors including aging, crumbling infrastructure, inadequate warnings and the effects of the accelerating climate crisis.
Derna, the epicenter of the disaster, was split into two after flood waters swept entire neighborhoods, ploughing a path to the sea.
It had a population of around 100,000 before the tragedy.
At least 30,000 people have been displaced in Derna alone, the UN said.
“With thousands of displaced people now on the move, the risk of exposure to landmines and Explosive Ordnance of War (ERW) leftover from years of conflict is on the rise, as flood waters have now shifted landmines and ERW,” OCHA said.
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A rescuer from the United Arab Emirates uses a dog to look for human remains in a destroyed building in Derna, Libya, on September 16.
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An aerial view shows the destruction in the aftermath of the floods in Derna on September 16.
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Volunteers carry a body to a truck in Derna on September 16.
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A car upturned by floodwater inside a shop in Derna on September 16.
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A man walks by the graves of flood victims in Derna on Friday, September 15.
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People line up to receive food aid on September 15.
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An aerial view of the devastation after flooding caused by Storm Daniel on September 15.
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A mosque stands amid damaged buildings on Thursday, September 14.
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A man carries a child on his shoulder as he walks past a flood-damaged area in Derna on September 14.
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Toys are scattered outside a damaged house on September 14.
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People look at damaged areas of Derna on September 14.
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People carry some of their belongings as they walk along a muddy street on September 14.
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Bodies of flooding victims are transported in Derna on Wednesday, September 13.
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A search-and-rescue team from the Egyptian army looks at damaged cars in Derna on September 13.
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A body is carried away in Derna on September 13.
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People search for survivors in Derna on September 13.
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Buildings are damaged in Derna on September 13.
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Rescuers inspect damaged areas in Derna on September 13.
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People walk between the rubble in Derna on September 13.
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An overhead view of the flood damage in Derna on September 13.
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Members of the Libyan Red Crescent walk in Derna on September 13.
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Workers bury the bodies of flood victims in Derna on September 13.
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An aerial view of Derna on Tuesday, September 12.
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A road is collapsed in Derna on September 12.
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A man sits amid flood debris in Derna on September 12.
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A damaged vehicle is partially buried in Derna on September 12.
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People cover the body of a victim in Derna on September 12.
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This satellite photo shows the extent of Derna’s flooding on September 12.
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People stand on a damaged road in Shahhat, Libya, on Monday, September 11.
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People make their way through a damaged area of Derna on September 11.
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Toys are strewn across the ground at a damaged store in Derna on September 11.
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Floodwaters cover Shahhat on September 11.
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Overturned cars are piled in a street in Derna on September 11.
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The body of a flood victim lies in the back of a pickup truck in Derna on September 11.
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A seaside road is collapsed in Derna on September 11.
Almost 300,000 children who were exposed to the flooding due to Storm Daniel face increased risk of cholera, malnutrition, diarrhea, and dehydration. The children also face “increased risks of violence and exploitation,” the report added.
Nearly 900 buildings in Derna have been completely destroyed by the flooding, Libyan state media LANA reported on Sunday.
Rescuers are going through collapsed buildings and searching the sea to retrieve dead bodies as the hope for survivors dwindles.
Derna’s waterfront has become the main staging area for delivering dead bodies and transporting them for burial, in a process that has been kept to one location due to the health hazards of decomposing bodies.
International rescue missions are calling for more equipment and help to retrieve corpses from the Mediterranean.
“Bodies are severely decomposing and at one point retrieving them might not be possible,” a representative from the Tunisian mission said in a meeting with counterparts from Russia, Arab countries, Turkey and Italy.
“We need assistance so our intervention is more efficient,” the representative added.
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The city of Derna was split into two after floodwaters swept through entire neighborhoods.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
An aerial view of destroyed houses in Derna after a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Libya, September 16, 2023.
Two female volunteers from Derna told CNN that the bodies they are seeing now are no longer identifiable because they “all look the same” while decomposing.
Along the damaged promenade, volunteers in hazmat suits have been scanning the sea looking for washed up bodies. Wrecked vehicles are stuck in what remains of the wave barrier further out in the sea.
“There are probably people in these cars you see in the water, but we don’t have the equipment to reach them,” says Ibrahim Hassan, head of the ambulance services in Kofra, southern Libya.
Other mission representatives from Egypt and the UAE described finding bodies in bays and coves in the Mediterranean, many in areas only accessible by boat.
A representative from the Algerian mission said teams spotted around 50 bodies from a cliff around seven nautical miles from the Derna port, but added that the area was only accessible by divers and boats.
“If we get the right boats we can retrieve 100 bodies every day,” the Egyptian representative said.
Dead bodies are also trapped under piles of mud in still occupied residential areas in Derna and could trigger a health crisis if areas are not evacuated, teams warned.
Esam Omran Al-fetori/Reuters
A view of Derna on Sunday. Some dead bodies are trapped under piles of mud in still occupied residential areas and could trigger a health crisis if areas are not evacuated, rescue teams warned.
The African Union (AU) announced Saturday that it had “activated an incident management mechanism” to support national response efforts in Libya following the devastating flooding.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, will also deploy a team of experts from various AU departments to provide further support in Libya.