Libya: How Derna became an open cemetery – See photos

The floods caused by storm Daniel in eastern Libya completely wiped out 1/4 of the city of Derna, costing the lives of thousands of people and the number of missing is incalculable.

According to the latest official count, at least 5,500 are dead and over 10,000 are missing. they are also unofficially considered dead.

What happened

Sunday night, the storm reached Dernawhich counted 100,000 inhabitants before the disaster. The two dams of Wadi Derna, which hold the waters of the river that crosses Derna, they retreated.

Strong currents of water destroyed bridges and washed away entire districts together with their inhabitants on both banks of the river to end up in the sea.

Why so many dead in Derna?

The dilapidated infrastructure, the constructions in violation of the urban building rules during the last decade and the lack of preparation against these kinds of disasters they transformed this city into an open cemetery.

Most deaths could have been avoidedsaid Petri Taalas, head of the UN’s World Meteorological Organization.

The meteorological observation network and IT systems have been destroyed in most of them during the multi-year conflictswrite down.

Since the fall and death of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya is mired in chaos with the existence of two rival governments, one recognized by the UN based in Tripoli and one in the eastern region which was affected by the floods.

Providing assistance

From Monday morning, phalanxes from Tripolitania in western Libya headed for Derna. The government under Abdelhamid Dbeiba announced the sending two air ambulances and a helicopter87 doctors and a search and rescue team, as well as technicians of the National Electricity Company for the restoration of the electricity supply.

On Wednesday, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs disbursed $10 million from emergency fundstating that the UN has deployed to the scene of the disaster a team to “support and finance international assistance”.

The European Commission announced the sending aid from Germany, Romania and Finland within the European Union’s civil protection mechanism, with tents, camping beds, blankets, generators and food items.

From his side, The World Food Program announced that it has started feeding 5,000 families, clarifying that thousands more in Derna are without food or shelter.

The UN, the United States and many countries in the Middle East and North Africa they have also promised to send aid. Foreign rescue teams are already searching for survivors.