The death toll in coastal city of Derna in Libya has soared to 11,300 according to the Libyan Red Crescent on Thursday. Search operations are still in order as thousands remain missing. Officials are however suggesting that the death toll could be much higher than announced, as per media reports.Marie el-Drese, the aid groups secretary-general told the press that more than 10,100 people are reported missing in the eastern Libyan city. Storm Daniel, an unusually strong Mediterranean storm caused deadly flooding in Libya, especially in the eastern city of Derna which was the worst hit.Storm Daniel leads to extreme rain and floods in Mediterranean, heavy loss of life in Libya. 🗣️: #EarlyWarningsForAll🔗: https://t.co/EOTgWNNas9 pic.twitter.com/INqmfdXylL— World Meteorological Organization (@WMO) September 12, 2023Why did Libya see this catastrophic floodAccording to the testaments of the residents of Derna, the first dam collapsed with a bang at around 3 a.m. Following this a second dam also burst, sending a huge wave of water gushing down through the mountains towards the coastal Libyan city, killing thousands as entire neighbourhoods were swept into the sea.Whole neighbourhoods were wiped out as buildings, homes and infrastructure were wiped out a 7-meter (23-foot) wave hit the city, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Moreover, as the storm calms dead bodies of people are also washing back up on shore, media reports say.Questions are being asked as to why the storm that also hit Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria in the Mediterranean caused such widespread devastation in Libya.According to media reports, experts are saying that apart from the intensity of the storm, Libya was also affected by factors such as ageing, crumbling infrastructure, inadequate warnings and the impacts of the accelerating climate crisis.Most casualties could have been avoided A UN official said Thursday that most casualties could have been avoided.“If there would have been a normal operating meteorological service, they could have issued the warnings,” World Meteorological Organization head Petteri Taalas told reporters in Geneva. ““The emergency management authorities would have been able to carry out the evacuation,” he added.The National Meteorological Center issued warnings 72 hours before the flooding and notified all governmental authorities by email and through the media, the WMO said.Officials in eastern Libya had ordered evacuation of the residents in the coastal region and warned them about the flood but the collapsing of the two dams was not foreseen. Hence there was no warning about the dam collapse.Mass burial is Derna A mass burial of dead bodies is taking place in Libya now, said eastern Libyas health minister, Othman Abduljaleel on Thursday.The minister said that more than 3,000 bodies were buried on Thursday morning while more than 2000 are in line. Most of the dead were buried in mass graves outside the city of Derna, while many others were transported to the nearby cities, as per media reports.
