The death toll from floods in Libya in one city alone stands at more than 1,500, a minister who visited the eastern port of Derna said lately.
“I was shocked by what I saw, it’s like a tsunami,” Hisham Chkiouat, from the eastern-based government, said.
Much of Derna, which is home to about 100,000 people, is under water after two dams and four bridges collapsed.
Up to 10,000 people are recorded to be missing after the flooding as a result of Storm Daniel, the Red Crescent says.
The eastern cities of Benghazi, Soussa and Al-Marj have also been affected by the storm, which hit on Sunday.
Mr Chkiouat, the aviation minister and part of the eastern government’s emergency response committee, said that the collapse of one of the dams to the south of Derna had dragged large parts of the city into the sea.
“A massive neighbourhood has been destroyed – there is a large number of victims, which is increasing each hour.
“Currently 1,500 dead. More than 2,000 missing. We don’t have accurate figures but it’s a calamity,” he said, adding that “the dam that collapsed hasn’t been maintained for a while”.
BBC/Jide Johnson.
