Libyan flash floods 'like a 7-meter-high tsunami'

Floodwaters, like a tsunami, reached a height of 7 meters and swept through the coastal city of Libya, causing such severe damage that it will take years to recover.

"This disaster is horrific. Many people are still missing, many bodies have washed ashore, and homes have been destroyed," Yann Fridez, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) mission in Libya, said on September 14.

Heavy rains caused by Hurricane Daniel earlier this week broke two dams upstream on the river flowing through the city of Derna, sending floodwaters rushing into the city, causing destruction and sweeping everything away into the sea.

Video footage from witnesses shows the floodwaters initially flowing slowly downstream into the dry riverbed. But after the dam broke, a massive torrent of water cascaded down from the high mountains, crashing into buildings and sweeping away numerous cars.

Libyan flash floods 'like a 7-meter-high tsunami' — The moment flash floods struck the city of Derna, eastern Libya. Video: *Mojo*

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"The water, higher than a six-story building, swept through this area like a tsunami," former Libyan health minister Reida El Oakley said on September 13. The flash flood has killed more than 5,300 people in the area. Officials fear the death toll could rise rapidly, as many victims remain missing.

"The floodwaters, reaching up to 7 meters, swept buildings and infrastructure into the sea," Fridez said, adding that it could take Libyans "months, even years, to recover from this disaster."

The ICRC said accessing flood-ravaged areas remains a major challenge due to destroyed roads. The ICRC support team distributed approximately 6,000 body bags to forensic teams in Benghazi for "handling the corpses".

An area in the city of Derna, Libya, was swept away by floods in this photo taken on September 13. Photo: AFP — An area in the city of Derna, Libya, was swept away by floods in this photo taken on September 13. Photo: *AFP*

Khaled Al-Shuwaihed, a Libyan citizen, said the situation in Derna was "disastrous".

"It took away all my friends," Al-Shuwaihed said. "One of my friends died while filming on top of the valley. A man named Nasir Fatoury and his children are believed to be dead, but their bodies haven't been found yet."

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates at least 5,000 people are missing, while local officials say around 10,000 remain unaccounted for, possibly swept out to sea by floodwaters or buried under rubble. Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi, the mayor of Derna, warned on September 13 that the death toll could reach 18,000 or 20,000.

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