Libya (BBCNEWS) : More than 5,300 people are believed to have died after floods in the Libyan city of Derna, an official has said.
“The sea is constantly dumping dozens of bodies,” Hisham Chkiouat, a minister in Libya’s eastern administration said.
There have been desperate calls for more humanitarian support as victims lie wrapped in body bags and others have been buried in mass graves.
A tsunami-like river of floodwater swept through Derna on Sunday after a dam burst during Storm Daniel.
Rescue teams are digging through the rubble of collapsed buildings in the hope of finding survivors – but hope is waning and the death toll is still expected to rise further.
Officials say at least 10,000 people are missing, while 30,000 people are estimated to have been displaced, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Libya said on Wednesday.
Morgues and hospitals have been overwhelmed with bodies.
Libyan doctor Najib Tarhoni, who has been working in a hospital near Derna, said more help is needed.
