Thousands are feared dead or missing in Libya after huge flash floods devastated eastern regions, with a surge of muddy river water ripping away entire neighbourhoods in one coastal city, local authorities and international aid groups said Tuesday. The flash floods in eastern Libya killed more than 2,300 people in the Mediterranean coastal city of Derna alone, the emergency services of the Tripoli-based government said. More than 5,000 people remained missing while about 7,000 people were injured by the force of floodwaters that rushed down a normally dry river valley, said Osama Ali, spokesman for the Tripoli-based emergency services, which has had a team in Derna since Monday. The death toll is huge and might reach thousandsMassive destruction can be seen in images published online from the port city of Derna, home to 100,000 people, where multi-storey buildings on the river banks

Source: The North Africa Journal September 12, 2023 13:32 UTC