International rescue teams in Libya are calling for additional assistance to recover the bodies of people who died in the disastrous floods that devastated the eastern city of Derna and killed thousands of people.
More than a week later, teams reported that most of the victims’ remains were in the water, and that some bodies were found in regions that could only be accessed with specialized equipment.
“The bodies are in serious decomposition and recovering them may become impossible at some point,” said the representative of the Tunisian mission in Derna during a meeting with his counterparts from the Arab countries, Russia, Turkey and Italy. “We need help to make our intervention more effective,” he continued.
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- Floods in Libya: 11,300 dead in Derna; Rescuers ask for more help
- More than 40,000 people have been displaced in northeastern Libya
- 2 volunteers came to the rescue
Floods in Libya: 11,300 dead in Derna; Rescuers ask for more help
Representatives of the mission from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Algeria claimed to have found bodies in bays and coves in the Mediterranean that can only be accessed by special boats.
The Algerian official said his crew discovered more than 50 bodies on a cliff about seven nautical miles from the port of Derna, but that only divers and boats can access the region.
“If we get the right ships, we can recover 100 bodies every day,” said the Egyptian representative.
Credit: AP
Last Sunday, a catastrophic flood swept entire neighborhoods into the Mediterranean.
The death toll from the terrible floods in Derna is still unknown. According to a UN report published on Saturday, the number has risen to at least 11,300 and another 10,100 remain missing.
Libyan officials, however, disputed this statistic on Sunday, stating that the Health Ministry of Libya’s eastern government had verified 3,252 deaths in Derna so far and that the UN figure was incorrect.
Ministry of Health figures track the recovered and buried dead.
According to the UN, the Libyan Red Crescent was summoned. CNN contacted both organizations but was unable to confirm the two conflicting statistics.
More than 40,000 people have been displaced in northeastern Libya
Credit: AP
According to the UN, more than 40,000 people have been displaced across northeastern Libya as a result of heavy rains from Storm Daniel. According to experts, the impact of the storm was significantly aggravated by a lethal convergence of variables such as aging, deteriorating infrastructure, insufficient warnings and the repercussions of the growing climate crisis.
Derna, the epicenter of the disaster, was split in two after floods swept away entire neighborhoods, opening a path to the sea. Before the disaster, it had a population of approximately 100,000 people.
Its coast has become the main starting point for the delivery of corpses and their transfer for burial.
This process has been limited to a single location due to the health risks posed by the decomposing remains.
2 volunteers came to the rescue
Credit: AP
A CNN crew at the scene Saturday saw at least four people, or their remains, arrive and be placed on a truck. Two Derna volunteers who were at the scene said that 22 dead people arrived to be buried on Saturday. Up to 90 bodies were reportedly transported on Friday.
On the seventh day after the flood, the bodies can no longer be distinguished because they all “look the same,” one volunteer told Jomana. Another volunteer, Asma Awad, informed Jomana that she had lost several family members, including her husband’s entire family.
Derna “was the most beautiful city,” Awad said, adding that he used to refer to it as “the mermaid.” Awad wondered if Derna would “get up again” and then burst into tears.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn