Libya flood can be considered as the most tragic destruction faced by the region and it ruins the region resulting in the missing of thousands of people. In the wake of a flash flood likened to a tsunami, emergency response teams in Derna Libya, are engaged in a race against time to locate the thousands of individuals who remain unaccounted for following the disaster, which tragically claimed the lives of a minimum of 4,000 people.

This deluge, triggered by a sudden surge of water from two upstream dams, has left Derna in ruins, resembling a nightmarish wasteland. Entire city blocks have been obliterated, and an unknown number of individuals have been swept into the Mediterranean Sea as a result of Libya flood.

The central neighborhoods on both sides of the river, typically dry during this season, now bear the scars of this natural catastrophe, resembling the aftermath of a colossal steamroller’s destructive path. Trees, buildings, and vehicles have been uprooted, some now resting upon the port’s breakwaters.

Libya Flood survivors

Survivors of Libya flood recount the terrifying experience of the rapid rise in water levels, with one man sharing the horror of being swept away along with his mother. “The water kept rising until we reached the fourth floor, and it was up to the second floor,” he recounted.

As the city grapples with this immense loss, hundreds of body bags line the mud-covered streets, awaiting mass burials. Grieving residents search through debris-filled streets in hopes of finding their missing loved ones, while bulldozers tirelessly work to clear the rubble and heaps of sand.

Yann Fridez, the head of the Libya delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, described the Libya flood disaster as “violent and brutal,” noting the extensive destruction of buildings and infrastructure. Families continue to search for their missing relatives, and the floodwaters have begun to deposit deceased individuals along the shoreline.

The catastrophe was exacerbated by the hurricane-strength Storm Daniel, further amplified by Libya’s fragile infrastructure, which has struggled since the downfall of Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. UN World Meteorological Organisation chief Petteri Taalas pointed out that if early warning and emergency management systems had functioned correctly, many lives could have been spared.

Access to Derna remains severely hindered due to extensive damage to roads, bridges, and essential utilities. Climate experts attribute the disaster to a changing climate coupled with Libya’s deteriorating infrastructure.

Storm Daniel, which intensified during an unusually hot summer, has already wreaked havoc in Turkey, Bulgaria, and Greece, causing widespread flooding and casualties.

UN rights commissioner Volker Turk emphasized that this serves as a grim reminder of the devastating impact of climate change on our world.

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