KABUL (Pajhwok): Catastrophic rains and flooding have left more than 5,000 people dead and 10,000 others missing in northeastern Libya, a US broadcaster reported on Wednesday.
A day earlier, the interior ministry of Libya’s eastern government said at least 5,300 people were presumed dead. The fatalities included 145 Egyptians.
According to CNN, 6,000 people remain missing in the worst-affected eastern city of Derna, where entire neighbourhoods were washed away.
A fierce storm triggered heavy rains and floods, leading to the collapse of two dams. The flooding swept entire neighbourhoods into the sea.
The chief of International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies delegation in Libya, told journalists in Geneva: “The death toll is huge.”
A doctor volunteering in Derna, Anas Barghathy, said: “There are no first-hand emergency services. People are working at the moment to collect the rotting bodies.”
PAN Monitor/mud
