Mass Graves
Libyan rescue workers buried hundreds of people in mass graves who died in the storm-driven devastation.
Emergency workers have discovered hundreds of bodies in the wreckage of Libya’s eastern city of Derna. There are still 10,000 people reported missing following the destruction caused by floodwaters from Storm Daniel.
The storm breached dams and swept away entire neighborhoods.
The health minister for eastern Libya has reported collecting more than 1,000 corpses. Derna’s ambulance authority has confirmed a current death toll of 2,300. Disturbing footage depicts numerous bodies covered with blankets in one hospital yard. Another image shows a mass grave filled with bodies.
As of Tuesday evening, over 1,500 bodies had been collected, with half of them already buried.
The devastation struck Derna and other parts of eastern Libya on Sunday night when Storm Daniel battered the coast. Derna residents heard loud explosions and realized that dams outside the city had given way.
Flash floods surged down Wadi Derna, a river that flows from the mountains through the city and into the sea.
Outside assistance began reaching Derna on Tuesday, more than 36 hours after the disaster occurred.
The flooding severely damaged or destroyed many access roads to the coastal city, which is home to approximately 89,000 people.
Ahmed Madroud, the deputy mayor of Derna, revealed that “at least 20 percent of the city has been destroyed.”
He attributed the extent of the devastation to the city’s weak infrastructure and the concentration of buildings in narrow streets near the river.
