Many people died in a very bad flood in Libya and their bodies were buried together in large graves.
Over 5,000 people have been reported dead in the tragedy that happened in Derna on Sunday. There are concerns that 10,000 people are missing and cannot be found.
The flood happened because of a strong storm that broke the dams close by. This let out a lot of water that destroyed at least a quarter of the city by the Mediterranean Sea.
The floods caused both buildings and the people who lived in them to be washed away.
On Monday, the director of a hospital in the city shared that they have counted 1,700 dead bodies at their hospital. Additionally, 500 more bodies have been buried in a different area of the city.
Around 10,000 people are thought to be missing, and it is believed that many have been taken out to sea.
Mohammed Qamaty, a person who helps out for free in Derna, said people who save others were still looking for the people who got hurt or died.
He asked all the young people in Libya with a degree or medical experience to come and assist them.
‘We don’t have enough nurses, so we need assistance. ‘
Videos after the event show lots of water flowing through the tall buildings that are still standing and cars that have been turned over. Later, there are dead bodies on the side of the road covered with blankets, ready to be buried.
People who live there said that the only sign that something bad was happening was the loud noise that happened when the dams were breaking. There was no system in place to alert them about the danger or a plan to get them to safety.
According to reports, many bodies were placed on the floor in hospital hallways. People are still searching for their missing family members as more dead bodies were brought in.
One person from Derna named Mustafa Salem said that he has already lost 30 members of his family.
Today, trucks with bulldozers and aid supplies were going to the city.
The flood caused a lot of damage, turning over and damaging cars and leaving the streets of Derna filled with rubble, mud, and debris.
Pictures taken from space of the city before and after the disaster reveal that a previously small river running through the middle of the city has become much wider. All the buildings that used to be next to the river are now gone.
There is a lot of damage in different parts of the city where flood waters came out, and buildings are missing.
The cities of Soussa, Al-Marj, and Misrata were also impacted by the storm on Sunday.
The rescue missions become difficult because Libya is divided politically.
The officially recognized government called Government of National Unity (GNU) is located in Tripoli, which is in the western part of the country. Derna is located in the east, where there is a separate administration and Commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army has power and control.
On Tuesday, Libya’s Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, who leads the government in Tripoli, said that the floods were a huge and unusual disaster. The leader of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mohammed al-Menfi, is asking for all the people in the country to work together and be unified.
Derna is a town located around 250km to the east of Benghazi, alongside the coast. It is surrounded by the nearby hills of the fertile Jabal Akhdar region.
The city was once a place where fighters from the Islamic State group established themselves in Libya, following the downfall of Gaddafi.
The United Nations (U. N) The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that teams were sent to help immediately. Qatar and Turkey governments have quickly sent help to Libya.