Libya flood death toll rises to over 11,300 with thousands of people still missing

TRIPOLI – The death toll in Libya’s coastal city of Derna has surged above 11,000 as search efforts are underway following devastating floods triggered by Storm Daniel. 

The Libyan Red Crescent confirmed that it had recorded 11,300 deaths, adding that over 10,000 people are reported missing in the Mediterranean city. The storm also killed about 170 people in other parts of Libya. 

Storm Daniel hit north-eastern Libya on Sunday (September 10), bringing strong winds and sudden heavy rainfall which led to massive flooding, devastation and deaths. Infrastructure has been greatly damaged, including dams near Derna that burst, causing flooding which has swept away entire neighbourhoods.

Videos showed a wide torrent running through Derna’s city centre after dams burst. Ruined buildings stood on either side.

Another video shared on Facebook, which Reuters could not independently verify, appeared to show dozens of bodies covered in blankets on the pavements.

Convoys of aid and assistance were heading towards the city.

Libya is politically divided between east and west and public services have crumbled since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that prompted years of conflict.

The internationally recognised government in Tripoli does not control eastern areas but has dispatched aid to Derna, with at least one relief flight leaving from the western city of Misrata on Tuesday, a Reuters journalist on the plane said.

Other countries, including the United States, also said they would help.