After the floods wrecked havoc in Libya’s Derna, rescue teams are finding it difficult to handle the bodies as the death toll mounts in the city. According to officials, the death toll has crossed 5,500 so far and around 10,000 people are still missing.
Thousands of people were swept away as Storm Daniel burst a dam lashing tsunami-like situation in Derna. “The sea is constantly dumping dozens of bodies,” said Hisham Chkiouat, a minister in Libya's eastern administration.
There have been calls for more humanitarian support as victims lie wrapped in body bags. Mayor of Derna, Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi, said that they need specialised teams in recovering the bodies.
Lutfi al-Misrati, a search team director told Al Jazeera that the city is under the fear of an epidemic as large number of bodies are trapped under rubble and in the water. “We need bags for the bodies,” he said.
Meanwhile, the international aid is on its way to support the flood-hit city. “Bodies are everywhere, inside houses, in the streets and at sea. Wherever you go, you can dead bodies,” Emad al-Falah, an aid worker from Benghazi told Associated Press.
Search on for flood survivors
The search and rescue operations are ongoing in full swing to find possible survivors. With the seas dumping more bodies to the coast, the death toll is expected to rise further high.
According to United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Libya, around 30,000 people are estimated to have been displaced due to the floods.
"I have friends in the hospital here who have lost most of their families...they've lost everyone," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.
"We just need people who understand the situation - logistic help, dogs that can actually smell people and get them from under the ground. We just need the humanitarian help, people who actually know what they are doing."
Meanwhile, some elite footballers in Libya Football Federation (LFF) were killed in the mishap as well. Shaheen Al-Jamil, Monder Sadaqa and brothers Saleh Sasi and Ayoub Sasi were the players who were killed.
The massive floods has affected cities of Soussa, Al-Marj and Misrata as well.
Rescue teams from Egypt, Tunisia, the United Arab Emriates, Turkey and Qatar have joined the search efforts.
