Libya floods – live: Fears death toll could ‘double’ as tens of thousand missing after river ‘tsunami’

Over 30,000 individuals have been displaced in Derna after havoc unleashed by Storm Daniel

Eyewitness footage shows burst dam as deadly floods devastate Libyan city

More than 2, 000 bodies have been found in the Libyan city of Derna as the toll is expected to increase significantly from 5,000 presumed and may even double, a minister in the regional administration has said after the city was hit by catastrophic floods.

The “sea is constantly dumping dozens of bodies”, Hichem Abu Chkiouat, minister of civil aviation in the administration that runs eastern Libya, told Reuters, adding that reconstruction would cost billions of dollars.

The confirmed death toll remains disputed so far as officials struggle to assess the damage in the conflict-stricken country. Officials say over 30,000 people remain displaced or missing.

Torrential rains brought by Storm Daniel appear to have overwhelmed multiple dams and sent a river “tsunami” through the city, washing away entire neighbourhoods and sweeping people out to sea, in what has emerged to be the worst climate disaster of 2023 so far.

Key Points

• Death toll in Libya's Derna may 'double' from 5,300
• Rescuers recover over 2,000 bodies
• 30,000 individuals displaced in Derna by storm
• Photos: Houses destroyed and towns submerged after flooding in Libya
• What led to catastrophic flooding in Libya?

[13 September 2023 11:32 · Stuti Mishra]

Rescuers recover over 2,000 bodies

Rescuers have found more than 2,000 bodies now 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 made vulnerable by years of turmoil and neglect.

Over half of the bodies recovered 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. Some bodies were retrieved from the sea.

[13 September 2023 12:00 · Stuti Mishra]

Turkey sends third aid plane as deadly floods hit

Turkish officials said a third aircraft carrying aid and search and rescue workers has flown to flood-stricken Libya.

Two other planes had already been dispatched to provide help after deadly floods from Storm Daniel hit the North African nation, sweeping away entire neighbourhoods in multiple coastal towns.

[13 September 2023 12:30 · Stuti Mishra]

Satellite image of Libyan desert before and after Storm Daniel

These two images, acquired by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellites on 2 and 12 September, show the Libyan desert before and after the aftermath of Storm Daniel (European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-2 imagery)

[13 September 2023 13:00 · Stuti Mishra]

Death toll in Derna surpasses 5,100, official says

The death toll from flooding that hit the eastern Libyan city of Derna reached more than 5,000 and was expected to rise further, a local health official has said, as authorities struggled to get aid to the coastal city where thousands remained missing and tens of thousands were homeless.

Ossama Ali, a spokesman for the Ambulance and Emergency Centre in eastern Libya, said at least 5,100 deaths were recorded in Derna, along with around 100 others elsewhere in eastern Libya.

More than 7,000 people were injured in the city, most receiving treatment in field hospitals that authorities and aid agencies set up, he told The Associated Press.

The number of deaths is likely to increase since search and rescue teams are still collecting bodies from the streets, buildings and the sea, he said.

[13 September 2023 13:30 · Stuti Mishra]

Video: Cars buried In heavy mud after devastating Libya floods

[13 September 2023 16:41 · Sam Rkaina]

We’re pausing our live coverage of the disaster in Libya but keeping checking independent.co.uk for the latest updates.