Nearly a week after a powerful storm caused catastrophic flooding in northeastern Libya, rescue groups assessing the damage left behind after two dams collapsed in the city of Derna — washing entire neighborhoods out to sea — said that the death toll was still being assessed amid diminishing hopes for finding survivors.
“There are still bodies in the water,” said Salem Al Naas, a spokesman for the Libyan Red Crescent in Derna, adding in an interview that workers were still searching hundreds of buildings where families were feared to have died.
People are being found alive — one person was pulled from the rubble yesterday, Mr. Al Naas said.
The United Nations had said on Saturday that at least 11,300 people had died and that more than 10,000 people were still missing, citing figures it said were from the Libyan Red Crescent.
But Mr. Al Naas walked that back a bit, and said that while those numbers “might be an approximate number,” the final death toll is yet unknown.
Persons:
—, ”, Salem Al, Al Naas, “
Organizations:
Libyan, United Nations
Locations:
Libya, Salem, Salem Al Naas, Derna, Libyan