Floods in Libya kill 5000 people: UN says most of the victims could have been avoided

Death toll as a result devastating floods in northern Libya remains unclear due to the horrific scale of the disaster and political chaos. While survivors still desperately hope to find the bodies of dead loved ones in rubble-strewn cities and towns, the United Nations said most of the thousands of deaths could have been avoided. Writes about this CBS News.

Photo: IStock

The head of the UN World Meteorological Organization, Petteri Taalas, told reporters: "With better coordination in the crisis country, they could have issued warnings and emergency response forces could have evacuated people and we could have avoided most of the loss of life."

A huge flood of water caused by heavy rains broke two dams in the upper reaches of the river and turned the city of Derna into an apocalyptic wasteland, where entire neighborhoods and countless people were washed into the Mediterranean Sea.

Hundreds of body bags lie in the city's muddy streets, awaiting mass graves. Traumatized and grief-stricken residents search for missing people in mangled buildings while bulldozers clear the streets.

Five days after the floods, access to Derna remains severely difficult, with roads and bridges destroyed and electricity and telephone communications cut off in large areas.

How many people are killed and missing in Libya?

Eastern Libya's Health Minister Othman Abduljalil said more than 3 bodies were buried in Derna alone, with another 2 bodies being processed. Most of the dead were buried in mass graves outside the city, while others were transported to nearby towns, he said.

On the subject: Hurricanes, heatwaves and floods: which US cities are most vulnerable to climate change

The death toll in Derna alone stood at 13 as of September 5100, according to authorities in the country's east, but that figure was expected to rise as the search through the rubble continued, and a spokesman for an emergency center in eastern Libya said, that at least 9000 people are still missing.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said earlier this week that about 10 people were missing.

Please put your prayers up for the people of Libya. A storm came through, and 2 aged dams collapsed.

A river ravaged through the city and has taken the lives of roughly 20,000 people. This isn't getting the mainstream coverage it should be getting in my opinion. pic.twitter.com/VSQsmW4tUb

— BRIX (@brix_rosa) September 14, 2023

A UN World Health Organization official in Libya said the death toll could reach 7000 with many people still missing, adding that "the numbers may surprise and shock us all."

The mayor of Derna, Abdel-Raham al-Ghaiti, speaking to Al Arabia television, said that the final death toll could be as high as 20.

Help is starting to arrive and more is on the way.

The UN, US, European Union and many countries in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe have pledged to send rescue teams and aid, including food, water tankers, emergency shelters, medicine and more body bags.

Among the first planes to arrive in Benghazi, 180 miles (290 km) from Derna, were eight Emirati planes carrying rescue workers, hundreds of tons of supplies and medical aid.

The Tripoli government declared a national emergency and sent planes, rescue teams and trucks carrying humanitarian aid to Benghazi.

It's extremely sad to see the devastation in Libya. pic.twitter.com/U9baIcyJ3I

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) September 14, 2023

The United Nations has pledged $10 million in assistance.

The need for assistance is enormous, with at least 30 people left homeless in Derna and eastern regions, where other towns and villages have also been hit by floods and landslides, according to UN agencies.

The combined effects of climate change and conflict

Climate experts attribute the scale of the disaster to the effects of a warming planet combined with years of chaos and infrastructure destruction in Libya.

Storm Daniel gained strength during an unusually hot summer and previously struck Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece.

Storm Daniel is yet another deadly reminder of the catastrophic impact a changing climate can have on our world, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

Although the floods were caused by Hurricane Daniel, the damage was exacerbated by Libya's severely underdeveloped infrastructure. The country plunged into chaos after longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and then killed in a 2011 uprising.

Aftermath of the floods in Libya ??? pic.twitter.com/LXFr805WFG

—Muslim (@Muslim) September 14, 2023

Libya remains divided between two rival blocs - the UN-backed and internationally recognized government in Tripoli and a separate rival administration based in Tobruk, in the country's disaster-stricken east.

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According to one report, all repair work on both dams stopped in 2011, when the civil war began in Libya, which continues to this day.

Turk called on all parties in Libya to “overcome political impasses and divisions and act collectively to ensure access to assistance. Now is the time for unity of purpose: all victims must receive support, regardless of any bias.”

An additional threat is posed by war-era mines that could be dislodged by flooding, warns Erik Tollefsen, director of pollution control for the International Committee of the Red Cross.

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