Libya Floods Update: Death Toll Rises To 11,300 In Derna, Rescuers Call For More Help

International rescue teams in Libya are requesting additional assistance in retrieving the bodies of those slain in the disastrous floods that swept through the eastern city of Derna, killing thousands.

More than a week later, the teams reported that the majority of the victims' remains were in the water, with some corpses in regions only accessible with specialized equipment.

"Bodies are severely decomposing, and retrieving them may become impossible at some point," the Tunisian mission representative stated in Derna during a meeting with counterparts from Arab countries, Russia, Turkey, and Italy. "We need assistance so our intervention is more efficient," he continued.

Libya Floods: 11,300 Dead In Derna; Rescuers Call For More Help

Mission representatives from the UAE, Egypt, and Algeria claimed to find bodies in Mediterranean bays and coves only accessible by special boats.

The Algerian official stated that his crew discovered over 50 bodies on a cliff about seven nautical miles from Derna harbour, but the region is only accessible by divers and boats.

"If we get the right boats, we can retrieve 100 bodies every day," claimed the Egyptian representative.

Credit: AP

Last Sunday, a catastrophic flood washed entire neighbourhoods into the Mediterranean.

The death toll from the terrible floods in Derna is yet unknown. According to a UN report issued on Saturday, the number has increased to at least 11,300, with another 10,100 still missing.

Libyan officials, however, contested this statistic on Sunday, stating that the health ministry of Libya's eastern government had verified 3,252 deaths in Derna thus far and that the UN toll was incorrect.

Figures from the health ministry track the dead that are recovered and buried.

According to the UN, the Libyan Red Crescent was cited. CNN reached out to both organizations but was unable to confirm the two contradicting statistics.

Over 40,000 People Have Displaced Across Northeastern Libya

Credit: AP

According to the UN, more than 40,000 people have been displaced across northeastern Libya as a result of Storm Daniel's heavy rains. As per experts, the storm's impact was considerably compounded by a lethal convergence of variables such as ageing, deteriorating infrastructure, insufficient warnings, and the repercussions of the rising climate crisis.

Derna, the disaster's epicentre, was divided in two after flood waters surged through entire neighbourhoods, carving a road to the sea. Before the disaster, it had a population of roughly 100,000 people.

Its shoreline has become the primary staging place for delivering dead bodies and transferring them for burial.

This process has been confined to a single location due to the health risks of decomposing remains.

2 Volunteers Came Up For Rescue

Credit: AP

A CNN crew on the scene on Saturday saw at least four people, or their remains, arrive and be placed onto a truck. Two Derna volunteers on the spot said that 22 dead had arrived for burial on Saturday. According to reports, up to 90 bodies were transported on Friday.

On the seventh day after the flooding, the dead bodies are no longer distinguishable since they all "look the same," one volunteer told Jomana. Another volunteer, Asma Awad, informed Jomana that she had lost several relatives, including her husband's entire family.

Derna "was the most beautiful city," Awad remarked, adding that she used to refer to it as "the mermaid." Awad wondered if Derna would "rise again" and then burst into tears.

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