Libya Flood: Survivors search for loved ones

Survivors of a flood that swept away the centre of the Libyan city of Derna picked through the ruins yesterday in search of loved ones from among thousands of dead and missing, while authorities feared an outbreak of disease from rotting bodies.

A torrent unleashed by a powerful storm burst dams on Sunday night and hurtled down a seasonal riverbed that bisects the city, washing multi-storey buildings into the sea with sleeping families inside.

Confirmed death tolls given by officials so far have varied, but all are in the thousands, with thousands more on lists of the missing. Derna Mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi said deaths in the city could reach 18,000-20,000, based on the extent of the damage.

"We actually need teams specialised in recovering bodies," he told Reuters in Derna. "I fear that the city will be infected with an epidemic due to the large number of bodies under the rubble and in the water."

The head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said yesterday that casualties could have been avoided in the floods if the divided country had a functional weather service able to issue warnings.

Mohamed al-Menfi, head of the three-member council that acts as the presidency in Libya's international recognised government, said on X that the council had asked the attorney general to investigate the disaster.

Usama Al Husadi, a 52-year-old driver, had been searching for his wife and five children since the disaster.