Authorities in the city of Derna, the city most affected by the devastating floods in Libya, are calling on the international community to send body bags and specialized body recovery teams to the country.
Due to the high number of bodies among the rubble, in the streets and in the water, carried by the tides towards the coast, there is fear of the appearance of an epidemic.
The most recent figures point to at least 5,200 deaths after Cyclone Daniel, which caused the collapse of two dams, but it is estimated that the real number exceeds 20,000 fatalities.
Scarcity of resources is forcing first responders and volunteers to pull victims out of the rubble with household items and bury them in mass graves.
The city’s two hospitals have been transformed into morgues, with bodies piled up at the door and on the floor, so the inhabitants of Derna are also calling for the creation of a new field hospital.
The failure of the two dams, a few kilometers from inhabited areas, threw millions of liters of water into the streets, destroying everything in its path.
An estimated 25% of the city disappeared under water and more than 30,000 people were left homeless in Derna alone, revealed the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
According to the mayor of Derna, Abdulmenam al Gaizi, maintenance on the city’s dam, which broke shortly after another upstream gave way due to water pressure, had not been carried out since 2008 due to the political crisis that the country lives.
Libya has been divided for more than a decade between two rival administrations: one in the east and one in the west, each supported by different militias and foreign governments.
The European Union announced this Wednesday the sending of emergency aid and food to Libya and Spain and the United Kingdom also announced their humanitarian support of one and 1.1 million euros respectively.
Turkey will set up two field hospitals there and Egypt will establish reception centers for survivors, while Jordan has chartered a plane with 11 million tons of goods for those affected.
Source: TSF
