A week after floods, Libyans haunted by fate of the missing
Derna, Libya Reuters Sabreen Blil was on her hands and knees atop the rubble of her brother’s house, the wind beating at her black robe as she clawed with her bare hands at the flattened masonry in hope of somehow digging to the family buried below. She recited their names as she wept. “Taym, Yazan, […]
Libyan flood survivors weigh water shortages against landmine risk
Derna LibyaReuters People whose homes were swept away by flooding in Libya’s eastern city of Derna a week ago faced the dilemma on Sunday of whether to stay and risk infection or flee through areas where landmines have been displaced by the torrents. Thousands of people were killed after two dams above Derna broke on […]
Flood-hit Libyan city facing long recovery as search for missing goes on
Derna, Libya Reuters Residents of Derna in eastern Libya were counting their losses from a flood that devastated swathes of the coastal city as the search for the missing continued on Saturday for a sixth day and more bodies were pulled from the sea. Central Street, once a focus of economic activity in Derna lined […]
“They knew”: Fury of Libyans that warnings went unheeded before flood
Reuters reports that the “catastrophe” which shattered the city of Derna this week had been warned about…
Libya’s flood-ravaged Derna struggles to cope with thousands of corpses
Derna, LibyaReuters Residents and rescue workers in the devastated Libyan city of Derna are struggling to cope with the thousands of corpses washing up or decaying under rubble, after a flood that smashed down buildings and swept people to sea. The World Health Organization and other aid groups urged authorities in Libya to stop burying […]
Libyans come together for flood aid effort despite conflict
Derna, Libya Reuters Libyans from across the fragmented country have driven through old front lines regardless of bitter enmities to deliver aid to flood-stricken Derna this week, putting aside years of conflict between their divided leaders. Inside Derna, where a torrent washed away whole districts on Sunday night after two dams collapsed under storm floods, […]
Libya hunts for those to blame for thousands of flood deaths
Derna, Libya Reuters Libyan authorities demanded an investigation on Thursday into whether human failings were to blame for thousands of deaths in the worst natural disaster in the country’s modern history, as survivors searched for loved ones washed away by floods. A torrent unleashed by a powerful storm burst dams on Sunday night and hurtled […]
Flooded Libyan city’s past troubles deepen with new disaster
Reuters The Libyan city devastated by a flood this week was particularly vulnerable to disaster after a decade of chaos in Libya that has halted infrastructure investment and years of fighting on its own streets that put residents at odds with local authorities. Derna, in eastern Libya, was wrecked when storm waters overwhelmed two dams […]
Eastern Libya authorities say 2,000 dead in flood, thousands missing
Benghazi, LibyaReuters Authorities in eastern Libya said at least 2,000 people were killed and thousands more were missing after a massive flood ripped through the city of Derna following a heavy storm and rain. Ahmed Mismari, the spokesperson for the Libyan National Army that controls eastern Libya, said in a televised news conference that the […]
Captured Libyan commander rejoins unit after clashes kill 55
Tripoli, LibyaReuters A Libyan factional commander whose seizure triggered the worst fighting in Tripoli for years, with 55 killed and 146 wounded, was returned to his unit on Wednesday, officials in the commander’s organisation said. Mahmoud Hamza, head of the powerful 444 Brigade, was seized by the Special Deterrence Force on Monday as he tried […]