• Source:ANI
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Libya Flood: More than 6,000 people have lost their lives due to heavy flooding that caused massive destruction across the country. Derna is the worst-hit city after Mediterranean storm Daniel caused deadly flooding in many eastern towns of the country. As of Wednesday, the death toll rose to 5,100 in Derna alone. According to said Ossama Ali, a spokesman for an ambulance centre in eastern Libya, the number of deaths is expected to climb further as thousands of people are still missing.

ALSO READ: 'Bodies Lying Everywhere': Libya Minister Calls Flood 'Disastrous' As 1,000 Bodies Recovered In Libyan City

According to the UN's International Organisation for Migration, at least 30,000 people have been displaced in Derna as a result of the floods, and thousands more have been forced to flee their homes in other eastern towns. Many of the access routes to Derna were damaged or destroyed by the floods, which delayed the arrival of foreign rescue crews and humanitarian aid.

A view shows a damaged car on a road after a powerful storm hit Qandula, Libya, September 12, 2023 (Image Credits: Reuters)

More than 3,000 bodies were buried by Thursday morning, said eastern Libya's health minister, Othman Abduljaleel, while another 2,000 were still being processed. He said most of the dead were buried in mass graves outside Derna, while others were transferred to nearby towns and cities. He said rescue teams were still searching wrecked buildings in the city centre, and divers combing seawater off Derna.

The storm hit other areas in eastern Libya, including the towns of Bayda, Susa, Um Razaz and Marj, leaving around 170 dead, the health minister said. The dead in eastern Libya included at least 84 Egyptians, who were transferred to their home country on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Derna's mayor, Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi said the estimated number of deaths in the Libyan city of Derna after a catastrophic flood could reach 18,000 to 20,000, Reuters reported. 

(With Inputs From Agencies)