A week after the floods in Libya, rescue teams search the rubble for thousands of missing people

A week after the devastating floods that devastated the city Libya in Derna and left thousands dead, local rescue teams, supported by foreign teams, continued this Sunday the search for the bodies of those still missing.

Rescue teams, dressed in protective suits and masks, continue the arduous task of searching for survivors who may be trapped in the mud or between destroyed buildings, crushed cars or under fallen trees.

LOOK HERE: Storm, hot sea and broken dams: this was the tragedy in Libya that left thousands dead and missing

Mohammed Al-Zawi25 years old, told AFP that on the night of the tragedy he saw torrents of water carrying cars with people inside, people adrift in the water and objects pushed by the current.

Destruction following flash floods caused by Storm Daniel in the eastern Libyan port city of Derna on September 17, 2023. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP) (KARIM SAHIB/)

“Everything went to sea“, he said.

The rescue operations take place amid chaos in a country that has two governments facing power and the death toll varies significantly, according to different sources.

According to the latest report from the Minister of Health of the government that controls eastern Libya, Othman Abdeljalilthere are 3,252 dead, but humanitarian organizations and authorities have warned that the number of fatalities could be higher, as there are thousands of people missing.

O Libyan Red Crescent this Sunday denied a balance issued by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) that there are 11,300 deaths, which cited data from this local organization as a source.

“We were surprised to see our name involved in these numbers. They increase the confusion and despair of the families of the missing.“, the spokesman for the Libyan Red Crescent, from Benghazi, told AFP, Tawfik Shoukri.

Destruction following flash floods caused by Storm Daniel in the eastern Libyan port city of Derna on September 17, 2023. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP) (KARIM SAHIB/)

These contradictory balances show the division and the absence of a centralized authority in the Libyaa country plunged into chaos since the 2011 uprising that overthrew the dictator Muammar Gaddafi.

The work of emergency teams is made difficult by the division of power, with two governments facing each other, one in the capital Tripoliwhich is recognized by the UN, and others in the east, in the affected area.

MORE INFORMATION: The UN mobilizes an aid team from Morocco to Libya due to the extent of the tragedy

“I saw death”

O Storm Daniel reached the city of Dernaof around 100 thousand inhabitants, on September 10th, causing the collapse of two dams located in the Wadi Derna River.

A man sits next to a vehicle destroyed by floods in Derna, eastern Libya. (AFP). (-/)

Mohammad AbdelhafidhA Lebanese man who has lived in Derna for decades told AFP he was sleeping when he felt a “shivering” and saw how the water rose to his apartment, which is on the third floor.

“I saw death“, he said.

According to city residents, most of the fatal victims were buried in the mud or dragged to the ground. Mediterranean Sea.

A rescue team Malta Department of Civil Protection found hundreds of bodies in a bay and managed to recover a few dozen bodies, according to the Times of Malta newspaper.

“There were probably around 400, but it’s hard to say.“, the director of the Maltese rescue teams told the newspaper, Natalino Bezzinawho explained that access to the bay was difficult due to the strong winds.

A team of Libyan rescuers said they saw “around 600 corpses”in the sea in front Om al Briketaround twenty kilometers east of Derna, according to a video published on social media, without specifying whether these are the same bodies found by the Maltese.

This image taken from AFPTV footage shows an aerial view of flood damage in Derna in eastern Libya. (Photo by AFPTV/AFP). (-/)

“Blessed”

The international mobilization continues and aid planes continue to land at Benghazi airport, the main city in the east. There are already brigades on the ground France, Will, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.

Authorities began the complicated process of identifying and counting the bodies, but hundreds of people were hastily buried in the first few days.

SEE TOO: “The sea never stops returning bodies”: the anguish of survivors and families of flood victims in Libya

The destruction of the storm struck Al Baida, about 100 kilometers west of Derna. In this town, many houses were almost destroyed and the inhabitants walk on a thick layer of mud that covers what used to be the floors of their kitchens or living rooms.

Aiman ​​​​Jabril SalehOne resident who locked himself and his entire family in a room until the storm passed said he was relieved not to have lost any loved ones.

“All our losses were material,” he told AFP. “When we saw the situation in Derna, we felt blessed” he added.

Source: Elcomercio