t least 700 victims of devestating floods in Libya have been buried and 10,000 individuals are reported lacking as rescue groups battle to get better our bodies.

Authorities estimated earlier that as many as 2,000 individuals could have been killed within the coastal metropolis of Derna alone as Mediterranean storm Daniel struck on Sunday night time.

Thousands of individuals lacking from the town, which was previously held by Islamic extremists, are believed to have been carried away by flood waters after two upstream dams burst.

Video by residents posted on-line confirmed main devastation, with house buildings collapsed into mud and full residential areas close to a river decimated.

Tamer Ramadan, Libya envoy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, mentioned 10,000 individuals have been lacking after the flooding, which is unprecedented within the area.

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The Libyan Red Crescent mentioned on Tuesday that its groups counted greater than 300 individuals lifeless in Derna, which authorities have declared a catastrophe zone.

Speaking about Friday’s lethal earthquake in Morocco, Mr Ramadan mentioned the state of affairs in Libya was “as devastating as the situation in Morocco.”

More our bodies have been nonetheless below the rubble within the metropolis’s neighborhoods, or washed away to the ocean, in accordance with japanese Libya’s well being minister, Othman Abduljaleel.

Mr Abduljaleel mentioned the town was inaccessible and our bodies have been scattered throughout, in accordance with Libya’s state-run news company.

He mentioned there wasn’t an actual demise toll as of Monday night time in Derna, however that the tally is anticipated to exceed 2,000 as search groups combed by way of the rubble.

“The situation was more significant and worse than we expected. An international intervention is needed,” he was quoted as saying.

Emergency responders, together with troops, authorities staff, volunteers and residents have been digging by way of rubble to get better the lifeless.

They additionally used inflatable boats to retrieve our bodies from the water. Excavators and different gear have but to reach in Derna.

Workers mentioned they buried greater than 200 our bodies in a single cemetery on Monday. Footage in a single day confirmed dozens extra our bodies on the bottom, coated by blankets or sheets, in a hospital yard in Derna.

Since a 2011 rebellion that toppled and later killed long-time ruler Moammar Gadhafi, Libya has lacked a central authorities. The nation is now cut up between rival governments within the east and west, every backed by an array of militias.

In Derna, native media mentioned the state of affairs was catastrophic with no electrical energy or communications.

Essam Abu Zeriba, the inside minister of the east Libya authorities, mentioned “the situation is tragic” in a phone interview on the Saudi-owned satellite tv for pc news channel Al-Arabiya.

Georgette Gagnon, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Libya, mentioned early studies confirmed that dozens of villages and cities have been “severely affected ... with widespread flooding, damage to infrastructure, and loss of life.”

“I am deeply saddened by the severe impact of (storm) Daniel on the country ... I call on all local, national, and international partners to join hands to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the people in eastern Libya,” she wrote on X platform, previously referred to as Twitter.

Ossama Hamad, the prime minister of the east Libya authorities, introduced three days of mourning.

Controlling japanese and western Libya, Cmdr. Khalifa Hifter deployed troops to assist residents in Benghazi and different japanese cities.