Libya declares Derna disaster zone after devastating floods kill more than 5300

As the nation grappled to come to terms wth the disaster that hit following storm Daniel sweeping across eastern Libya, more than 5300 bodies were recovered and several thousands have been reported missing.

Several dams collapsed with floodwaters washing away entire neighbourhoods of the city, as survivors looked for their missing relatives through the ravages.

The shocking loss of life and destruction caused by Mediterranean storm Daniel demonstrated not only the strength of the storm but also the vulnerability of a nation that had been torn apart by chaos for more than a decade. The nation is separated by rival states, one in the east, the other in the west, and the outcome has been disregard of foundation in numerous areas.

Also read : Over 2,000 feared dead, thousands missing after severe flooding in eastern Libya

Outside help was just barely beginning to arrive at Derna on Tuesday, over a day and a half after the everything went south. Many roads that lead to the 89,000-person coastal city were damaged or destroyed by the floods.

Film showed many bodies canvassed by covers in the yard of one medical clinic. One more picture showed a mass grave heaped with bodies. The health minister for eastern Libya stated that more than 1,500 corpses had been collected, and half of them had been buried as of Tuesday evening.

The death toll was estimated at over 5,000 by one Libyan official. The state-run news office cited Mohammed Abu-Lamousha, a representative for the east Libya inside service, as saying that in excess of 5,300 individuals had kicked the bucket in Derna alone. The ambulance authority in Derna reported 2,300 deaths earlier on Tuesday.

However, the death toll is likely to be higher, according to Tamer Ramadan, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' representative to Libya. Through a videoconference from Tunisia, he informed a U.N. briefing in Geneva that at least 10,000 people were still missing. He said later Tuesday that in excess of 40,000 individuals have been dislodged.