‘Hundreds’ of bodies found in bay – reports
Hundreds of dead bodies have been found on a Derna beach, a Maltese rescue team has said.
The team’s leader, Natalino Bezzina, told the Times of Malta there were approximately 400 people.
A four-person rescue crew made the discovery on Friday after finding seven bodies, including three children, inside a cave by the sea.
As they continued the search, they were joined by Libyan dinghies also looking for casualties and survivors.
Then they came across a small bay filled with debris and several hundred dead bodies.
Firefighters dig for girl, 2, and pregnant mum
A team of Italian firefighters are working in the aftermath of the deadly floods.
They have been searching a site for a pregnant woman and a two-year-girl believed to be stuck under a collapsed building.
The team was one of multiple groups digging through drifts of mud and hollowed-out buildings looking for bodies and possible survivors.
Team leader Simone Andreini says: “Apart from the furniture, there are parts where the building has collapsed and all the spaces are occupied by mud.
“So the search will be difficult. Now we will try to remove these obstacles.”
The missed chances to save Libya’s flood victims from disaster
Sky’s data and forensics team looks at the warning signs that were missed and how human error exacerbated a natural disaster.
The storm began forming over the Ionian Sea on 4 September and after battering Bulgaria, Turkey and Greece, it made its way south across the Mediterranean towards Africa.
Some warnings in Libya were issued but critics say more action could have been taken before the flash floods hit.
Libyan authorities ‘very sensitive to criticism’
Alex Crawford gives her assessment on how the situation will play out over the next few days.
The eastern Libyan authorities are “very sensitive to criticism” and less access will be given to journalists as a result, she says.
“They have already started restricting people’s access to the centre to just emergency relief workers,” says Crawford.
On the subject of aid, Libyans “need the world to respond very, very quickly”, she adds.
If more aid does not come in soon, “you do not even want to think about” the consequences for civilians, says Crawford.
‘Preventable catastrophe’ prompts calls for inquiry
The people in Derna “feel incredibly let down”, says Yousra Elbagir, Africa correspondent of Sky News.
The fact two dams collapsed is a “symbol of just how preventable this catastrophe is,” she says.
The water “split the city in half” and left barely anything of the dam.
Homes were flung down towards the sea on the waters’ way out, says Elbagir.
“This valley is usually dry, they’ve never seen this amount of water in one go,” the correspondent adds.
“They’ve said that was more water, rain [than] in a year.”
She continues: “There’s this real sense that this should never have happened. There are calls for accountability. There are calls for an inquiry. There are questions rightfully asked about why this wasn’t looked into.”
You must log in to post a comment.