Some 10,000 people remain missing following flooding in the Libyan city of Derna on Sunday.
A local dam burst during Storm Daniel and local officials estimate that 5,300 have died in Derna alone.
Entire apartment blocks collapsed in the flooding, cars were carried away in the torrential rain and the area around the city has been declared a disaster zone.
Civil Aviation Minister in the Eastern Administration Hichem Abu Chkiouat described the impact of the flooding as “like a tsunami” and was shocked by what he saw.
"I returned from Derna. It is very disastrous,” he said.
"Bodies are lying everywhere - in the sea, in the valleys, under the buildings."
The humanitarian situation is catastrophic in certain parts of eastern #Libya.
Hundreds have lost their lives.
Many more are missing and thousands are displaced.
In #Derna, entire neighborhoods have been swept away by the floods and the bursting of 2 dams. pic.twitter.com/sAVLjTgqtB— Yann Fridez (@YFridezICRC) September 12, 2023
His colleague, Health Minister Othman Abduljaleel, said the disaster had overwhelmed local authorities.
"We were stunned by the amount of destruction... The tragedy is very significant, and beyond the capacity of Derna and the government,” he told the Associated Press.
Rescue workers continue to search for survivors but volunteers say they are in desperate need of more help.
"We call on all the young Libyans, anyone who has a degree or any medical affiliation to please come and help us," one man told Reuters.
"We have a shortage in nurses, we need help."
A number of countries, including the US, Germany, Iran, Italy, Qatar and Turkey, have all sent aid to the country.
Jill and I send our deepest condolences to all the families who have lost loved ones in the devastating floods in Libya. In this difficult hour, the United States is sending emergency funds to relief organizations and coordinating with the Libyan authorities and the UN to…
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 12, 2023
Following the fall of Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been effectively split in two and Derna is located in the eastern part of the country, controlled by rebels.
Despite the split, the Government in Tripoli has sent medical aid to the city.
Main image: A man in a flooded Libyan street. Picture by: Alamy.com
