Derna
CNN
—
International rescue teams in Libya are calling for more help to retrieve the bodies of victims killed in devastating floods that swept through the eastern city of Derna, killing thousands.
More than a week on, the teams said the majority of the victims’ bodies are in the water, with some corpses in areas that can only be reached using special equipment.
“Bodies are severely decomposing and at one point retrieving them might not be possible,” the representative of the Tunisian mission said in a meeting held with his counterparts from Arab countries, Russia, Turkey and Italy in Derna. “We need assistance, so our intervention is more efficient,” he added.
Mission representatives from the UAE, Egypt and Algeria described finding bodies in bays and coves in the Mediterranean in areas only accessible by special boats.
The Algerian representative said his team spotted around 50 bodies from a cliff around 7 nautical miles from the Derna port, but the area is only accessible by divers and boats.
“If we get the right boats we can retrieve 100 bodies every day,” the Egyptian representative said.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Aisha, 51, who said she lost five family members when the deadly storm hit her city, reacts as she walks past destroyed houses, in Derna, Libya on Sunday.
Amr Alfiky/Reuters
A car is half burried following floods in Derna, Libya, on September 16.
Catastrophic flood swept entire neighborhoods into the Mediterranean last Sunday.
The toll from the devastating floods in Derna remains unclear. According to a UN report released Saturday, the figure has risen to at least 11,300, while a further 10,100 remain missing.
But Libyan authorities on Sunday disputed this figure, with the health ministry of Libya’s eastern government reporting that it had documented 3,252 deaths in Derna so far and that the UN toll was inaccurate. The health ministry figures document the bodies that are retrieved and buried.
The UN said it was citing the Libyan Red Crescent. CNN has approached both organizations for comment and is unable to verify the two conflicting figures.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
People gather for a demonstration outside the Al-Sahaba mosque in Derna, Libya, on Monday, September 18.
The protesters are trying to hold leaders accountable for the bursting of dams that some feel could have been avoided. This sign reads: "The sad city of Derna demands its rights."
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A building is damaged in Derna on September 18. Experts say the
storm's impact was greatly exacerbated by a lethal confluence of factors, including aging, crumbling infrastructure; inadequate warnings; and the effects of the accelerating climate crisis.
Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters
Hassan Kassar, who lost his daughters, two of his sons and his granddaughter, sits inside his damaged house in Derna on Sunday, September 17.
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People walk through rubble and debris in Derna on September 17.
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A woman who lost family members reacts as she walks past destroyed houses in Derna on September 17.
Amr Alfiky/Reuters
A rescuer from the United Arab Emirates uses a dog to look for human remains in Derna on Saturday, September 16.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
Debris is piled up in Derna on September 16.
Ayman Al-sahili/Reuters
This aerial view shows the destruction in Derna on September 16.
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Volunteers carry a body to a truck in Derna on September 16.
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An overturned car is inside a shop in Derna on September 16.
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A man walks by the graves of flood victims in Derna on Friday, September 15.
Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters
People line up to receive food aid in Derna on September 15.
Muhammad J. Elalwany/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Devastation is seen in Derna on September 15.
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A mosque stands amid damaged buildings in Derna on Thursday, September 14.
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A man carries a child on his shoulder as he walks past a flood-damaged area in Derna on September 14.
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Toys are scattered outside a damaged house on September 14.
Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters
People look at damaged areas of Derna on September 14.
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People carry some of their belongings as they walk along a muddy street on September 14.
Muhammad J. Elalwany/AP
An overhead view of the flood damage in Derna on Wednesday, September 13.
Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters
Hassan El Salheen weeps in the Egyptian village of Al Sharief on September 13 after burying the repatriated body of his son, Aly, who died along with his three cousins in Libya.
Ahmed Elumami/Reuters
A body is carried away in Derna on September 13.
Yousef Murad/AP
People search for survivors in Derna on September 13.
Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters
A search-and-rescue team from the Egyptian army looks at damaged cars in Derna on September 13.
Yousef Murad/AP
Workers bury the bodies of flood victims in Derna on September 13.
Jamal Alkomaty/AP
An aerial view of Derna on September 12.
Esam Omran Al-Fetori/Reuters
A man sits amid flood debris in Derna on September 12.
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A damaged vehicle is partially buried in Derna on September 12.
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People cover the body of a victim in Derna on September 12.
Jamal Alkomaty/AP
A road is collapsed in Derna on September 12.
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People make their way through a damaged area of Derna on September 11.
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Toys are strewn across the ground at a damaged store in Derna on September 11.
Ali Al-Saadi/Reuters
Floodwaters cover Shahhat, Libya, on September 11.
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Overturned cars are piled in a street in Derna on September 11.
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The body of a flood victim lies in the back of a pickup truck in Derna on September 11.
Omar Jarhman/Reuters
People stand on a damaged road in Shahhat on September 11.
More than 40,000 people have been displaced across northeastern Libya since the extreme rainfall brought by Storm Daniel, the UN says.
Experts say the storm’s impact was greatly exacerbated by a lethal confluence of factors including aging, crumbling infrastructure, inadequate warnings and the effects of the accelerating climate crisis.
Derna, the epicenter of the disaster, was split into two after flood waters swept entire neighborhoods, ploughing a path to the sea. It had a population of around 100,000 before the tragedy.
Its waterfront has become the main staging area for delivering dead bodies and transporting them for burial, in a process that has been kept to one location due to the health hazards of decomposing bodies.
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The city of Derna was split into two after floodwaters swept through entire neighborhoods.
Zohra Bensemra/Reuters
An aerial view of destroyed houses in Derna after a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Libya, September 16, 2023.
On Saturday, a CNN team at the scene saw at least four bodies, or their remains, arriving and being loaded into a truck.
Two volunteers from Derna at the scene said that 22 bodies had arrived for burial on Saturday. They said up to 90 bodies were delivered on Friday.
The dead bodies, they explained, are no longer identifiable on the seventh day after the flooding, because they all “look the same,” one volunteer told CNN.
Asma Awad, another volunteer, told Jomana she lost a number of relatives, including her husband’s entire family. Derna “was the most beautiful city,” Awad said, adding she used to call it “the mermaid.”
Awad questioned whether Derna will “rise up again,” before bursting into tears.