Libya's flood-hit Derna struggles to deal with corpses after huge death toll

The World Health Organization and other aid groups called on authorities in Libya to stop burying flood victims in mass graves, saying these could bring long-term mental distress to families or might cause health risks if located near water.

The International Organization for Migration mission in Libya said on Friday that more than 5,000 people were presumed dead, with 3,922 deaths registered in hospitals, and more than 38,640 were displaced in the flood-stricken northeastern region.The death toll could be far higher, officials say. "We urge authorities in communities touched by tragedy to not rush forward with mass burials or mass cremations," Kazunobu Kojima, medical officer for biosafety and biosecurity in the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, said in the statement.

A volunteer from the Beltrees Youth Movement sorts clothes that are to be distributed to the displaced people, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya on Sep 14, 2023. Thursday's UN report said more than 1,000 bodies in Derna and over 100 bodies in Al Bayda, another coastal city which was hit by flooding, had been buried in mass graves.

"I've heard from my team that there are mass graves where rescue workers were appealing: 'Don't bring us food, don’t bring us water, bring us body bags'," the NRC's Ahmed Bayram said.

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Libya's flood-ravaged Derna in grisly hunt for thousands still missingDERNA: Emergency teams on Friday (Sep 15) kept up their search for the thousands still posted as missing from the tsunami-sized flash flood that swept the Libyan port city of Derna, killing at least 4,000
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Catastrophic Libya flood kills thousands, desperate relatives search for survivorsDERNA: Residents of the devastated Libyan city of Derna desperately searched for missing relatives on Wednesday (Sep 13) and rescue workers appealed for more body bags, after a catastrophic flood that killed t
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Fears mount of surging death toll in Libya flood disasterFootage broadcast by state media showed an apocalyptic landscape in the city, with debris littering streets. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: straits_times - 🏆 5. / 69 Read more »

Libya hunts for those to blame for thousands of flood deathsThe huge loss of life may be avoided if Libya had a functioning weather agency. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Source: STForeignDesk - 🏆 4. / 71 Read more »

Casualties in Libya floods could have been avoided with warning system: WMO chiefGENEVA: The head of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday (Sep 14) that casualties could have been avoided in the floods that hit Libya if the divided count
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Libya floods death toll could hit 20,000, says mayor as survivors search for loved onesDERNA: Survivors of a flood that swept away the centre of a Libyan city picked through the ruins on Thursday (Sep 14) in search of loved ones from among thousands of dead and missing, while authorities feared an outbreak of disease from rotting bodies.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »