Watch: Derna resident captures videos that show horror in Libya after flooding kills thousands

Name: Local surveys devastation in Derna after flood in Libya
Uploaded: 2023-09-14T12:44:38-04:00
Duration: 1 min 31 s
Description: Footage captured by a local resident in Derna, Libya, on Monday shows debris, mud, and damaged buildings left after the catastrophic flooding that killed over 6,000 people.

Footage captured by a local resident in Derna, Libya, on Monday shows debris, mud, and damaged buildings left after the catastrophic flooding that killed over 6,000 people.

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Local surveys devastation in Derna after flood in Libya

Footage captured by a local resident in Derna, Libya, on Monday shows debris, mud, and damaged buildings left after the catastrophic flooding that killed over 6,000 people.

DERNA, Libya – Amid a multitude of debris, thick layers of mud and buildings damaged beyond repair, recovery efforts continue in Libya's eastern city of Derna.

The devastating flood aftermath caused the loss of more than 6,000 lives, according to the Libyan Red Crescent Society, and left a trail of destruction and heartbreak. Derna, a port city with a population of 100,000, is now desolate amid fears that the death toll may rise to 20,000, Mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi said, according to an Al Jazeera report.

"During the morning, the sun is quite strong," al-Ghaithi said. "The smell and the warmth of the bodies rotting, it’s really sad to say, but that’s the reality underneath the buildings. So it’s a very graphic and harrowing situation."

The Libyan Red Crescent issued a warning Thursday afternoon that more than 10,000 people are missing in the city. This is a result of the dams along the Wadi Darnah River failing because of the impact of a powerful storm named Daniel. Residents in the area have described the current situation as "doomsday."

MISERY IN LIBYA AS DEATHS TOP 6,000 WHILE FAMILIES GRAPPLE WITH ‘DOOMSDAY’ FLOOD AFTERMATH

Satellites have captured dramatic before-and-after photos of the floods in Derna, Libya, after Storm Daniel hit on Sunday.

(Planet Labs PBC via Storyful)

The search is slow, according to the Red Crescent because crews are looking into the risk of unexploded ordnance and abandoned munitions throughout the town.

‘Horror of the view’

Local resident @nankamal1 said she wanted to share her videos on social media to reveal the extent of the devastation caused by Storm Daniel as it wiped out everything in its path, claiming the lives of multiple generations of families as it washed buildings and bodies out to sea.

"Every video I shot was from inside the house, from the horror of the view, and I documented everything I experienced that day," she said.

The Red Crescent is currently providing emergency support in the affected area and said many people have lost everything. Homes, buildings and entire neighborhoods have been swept away by the floods.

"With thousands of bodies still in the water, it’s feared that disease could start taking hold," the aid agency said.

LIBYA SUFFERS ‘CATASTROPHIC’ FLOODING FROM STORM DANIEL

The Wadi Derna River burst two dams near Derna on Sunday due to rains from Storm Daniel. Tsunami-like waves, 22 feet high, then crashed through the city, carrying debris with it. It’s thought that the sheer weight of water and the debris caught up in the floods is what caused the most damage and took so many lives, the Red Crescent said.

MEDITERRANEAN STORM DANIEL CAUSES WIDESPREAD FLOODING IN LIBYA WHERE THOUSANDS ARE FEARED DEAD

A man speaks on his mobile phone in a flash flood-damaged area in Derna on September 14, 2023.

(Abdullah DOMA / AFP / Getty Images)

Attention turns to health impacts in Derna

"In the wake of the floods, as the death toll rises, health needs have become more urgent," said the World Health Organization in Libya. "There are at least three large hospitals out of service in Derna while other hospitals are only partially functioning."

Flooding can lead to disease outbreaks, especially in emergency situations, the world's top health officials warned. Lack of proper sanitation facilities in temporary shelters can lead to the spread of waterborne illnesses like dysentery and cholera in densely populated areas, posing a growing risk for impacted towns such as Derna.

Libyan Red Crescent volunteers were the first on the ground, evacuating people and providing first aid and search and rescue efforts in close coordination with local authorities.

"The priority right now is search and rescue, so we can save as many lives as possible," said Richard Blewitt, executive director of international for the British Red Cross. "Red Cross, Red Crescent teams are responding, providing first aid to those that need it, searching for the missing and helping to reunite families."