At least 5,100 people are presumed dead after a torrential downpour triggered the collapse of two dams and unleashed devastating flash floods across the Libyan coastal city of Derna, according to local authorities.
The historic Mediterranean port was inundated late Sunday when heavy rains from Storm Daniel caused dams in the mountains above Derna to burst. The raging waters rapidly filled the dry Wadi Derna riverbed, transforming it into a deadly torrent that roared through the city’s center and obliterated entire neighborhoods.
“It was a wall of water that came crashing into homes and buildings with incredible force,” said rescue worker Tariq al-Masri. “Many were swept into the sea or buried under the debris.”
Entire families sleeping in their beds were wiped out as apartment buildings and multi-story structures sustained heavy damage or complete collapse from the raging floodwaters.
Rescue personnel have struggled to reach the flattened city as roads remain blocked by flood-tossed vehicles, trees and power lines. Thousands are still unaccounted for amid the wreckage, leading to fears the death toll could rise significantly.
“We are using heavy equipment to clear pathways and gain access to buried homes in hopes of finding survivors trapped in pockets of debris,” al-Masri said. “But as time passes, hope diminishes.”
With electricity and communications down across Derna, the full extent of the disaster remains unknown. The flash flooding has left tens of thousands homeless and in dire need of humanitarian aid.