As the death toll following a flood in Libya reaches over 11,000, the person responsible for failed rescue attempts will be put on trial. 

Libyan Chief Public Prosecutor Al Siddiq Al Sou said he is investigating the funds allocated to the maintenance of two dams that broke following the arrival of Storm Daniel in the area. 

“I reassure the citizens that whoever made a mistake [or] neglected [[something], the prosecution will certainly take firm measures, file a criminal case against him, and put him on trial,” he said. 

Sky Reporter Alex Crawford said, while Storm Daniel was a natural disaster, locals feel “a catastrophic culmination of human error” led to more deaths. 

Damage from massive flooding is seen in Derma, Libya, 13/09/2023. Image: Associated Press/Alamy Stock Image

“[Rescue teams] had preparations, they could have gotten people out of the city,” she said. “And instead, they didn’t.” 

Storm Daniel unleashed record amounts of rain in Libya, causing 11,300 deaths, 10,000 people injured and over 40,000 people displaced. 

Rescue teams are searching the mud-plagued seas to try to locate more bodies – but people are questioning failed flood defences. 

“There’s no help, there’s nobody to help,” one local man in Derma said. “There’s no government.” 

Damage from massive flooding is seen in Derma, Libya, 13/09/2023. Image: Associated Press/Alamy Stock Image

Many local people have been using shovels and picks to try and find lost relatives in the rubble in the cities and in the sea. 

One man said many people were “thrown into the sea” by the flood – and now bodies are coming back up to the surface. 

“[Locals] began to recover them,” he said. “Among them are children and missing people. 

“Searching the sea takes time because as you can see, the colour of the mud covers the colour of the sea.” 

Additional reporting by IRN.