Climate Politics
Libyan Flood Toll Tops 11,300 Amid Recovery and Recrimination
- Nearly quarter of Derna’s population estimated dead or missing
- Authorities launching investigations after eastern dams burst
Overturned cars lay among other debris in Derna, eastern Libya.
Sourc: -/AFP/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
The death toll from devastating floods in eastern Libya surged past 11,300 people in the city of Derna alone, overshadowing hopes of finding the thousands of others missing after a rare hurricane-like storm slammed into the North African nation last week.
As rescuers including Libyan fighters and foreign teams combed through the rubble, concerns mounted about the potential health impact, including from cholera, from the contaminated waters. Authorities ordered an investigation into what caused the collapse of two dams that overwhelmed the city.