Climate change is partly responsible for the floods that have devastated Libya, but the legacy of civil war, political chaos and corruption have exacerbated the impact. Observers say aid is desperately needed.
, the full extent of the disaster caused by recent floods in northeastern Libya is becoming increasingly apparent. Local media have quoted a government spokesperson as saying that more than 5,200 people died in the port city of Derna, which has a population of 90,000 to 100,000.
Located 300 kilometers east of Libya's second-most populous city, Benghazi, Derna is split by a riverbed that is usually dry in summer. Heavy rainfall turned it into athat swept away several major bridges, and many of the high-rise buildings on the riverbanks collapsed. One resident of Derna told the Reuters news agency he had already lost 30 members of his family. Like thousands of others, he did not know whether his remaining loved ones were dead or alive, a situation that is"agonizing," said Thomas Claes, the head of the Libya office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, which is located in"I'm hearing from quite a number of people here, who have had no contact with their relatives and friends for two or three days," said Claes.
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