Rescue operation continues at the site.
< p>InLibyathe number of people killed in floods and the collapse of two dams killed about 11,300 people. More than ten thousand more are considered missing.
The Associated Press writes about this with reference to the Red Crescent.
According to journalists, the city of Derna was hit the hardest. Thousands of dead residents had to be buried in mass graves. It is assumed that the total number of deaths could be up to 20 thousand people.
The publication noted that rescue efforts and operations to return bodies were complicated by the conflict within the country, divided between competing eastern and western administrations. The internationally recognized Government of National Unity is based in Tripoli, in the west of the country. A parallel administration operates in the east under the control of Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army, which failed to capture Tripoli during a bloody 14-month siege that ended in 2020.
Here is the first post-high resolution satelite image of the port city of Derna.
Libya 9-11. pic.twitter.com/HirE59i1Bn
— Nahel Belgherze (@WxNB_) September 12, 2023
How the deaths of thousands of people could have been prevented
Libya's National Meteorological Center issued early warnings of an extreme weather event at the onset of Storm Daniel. However, experts were unable to warn about the risks associated with the possible collapse of the dams.
This was stated by the Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization Petteri Taalasa.
According to Taalas, meteorologists in Libya are working in problematic conditions . The weather center's IT systems are not functioning properly. There is also a serious staff shortage.
“The tragedy in Libya highlights the devastating and cascading effects of extreme weather on fragile states and demonstrates the need for early warning of multiple dangers that span all levels of government and society,” Taalasa said.
What is known about the flooding in Libya
There was a storm on Sunday, September 10″ Daniel” swept across the Mediterranean Sea, flooding roads and destroying buildings in Derna. Many residential buildings, hospitals and infrastructure were flooded.
In Derna, entire neighborhoods were washed away. More than 700 unidentified bodies have been collected from the cemetery, and local authorities say thousands are missing. Many people were washed away into the Mediterranean Sea. For several days now, the waves have been throwing their bodies ashore. Entire families died. Many are buried in large mass graves.
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