Libya floods: as global aid effort intensifies, fears grow death toll in Derna could hit 20,000
- Thousands dead, thousands more missing in eastern Libya after devastating storm
- Swathes of the Mediterranean city of Derna were obliterated by a torrent of water
04:02
‘Figures are massive’: Libya begins counting the dead following catastrophic floods in Derna
A global effort to assist stricken Libya gathered pace on Thursday after a catastrophic flood that killed at least 5,000 people and swept many out to sea.
Military transport aircraft from Middle Eastern and European nations, along with ships, have been ferrying emergency aid to the North African country already scarred by war.
In addition to thousands missing, tens of thousands of people have been displaced after the huge flash flood slammed into the Mediterranean coastal city of Derna on Sunday. There were fears the death toll in the city could hit 20,000.
Witnesses compared it to a tsunami after two upstream dams burst when torrential rains brought by Storm Daniel battered the region.
The wall of water ripped away buildings, vehicles and the people inside them. Many were swept out into the sea, with bodies later washing up on beaches littered with debris and car wrecks.
