Summary

  • The death toll following the flooding in Libya has reached around 11,000, the Red Crescent in Derna says

  • Some 20,000 people have been reported as missing, it says, as workers continue to recover bodies

  • Most of the thousands of deaths could have been avoided, the UN's World Meteorological Organization says

  • Warnings should have been issued, leading to evacuations, "and we could have avoided most of the human casualties"

  • Meanwhile, Libyan politician Guma El-Gamaty says the flooding was a disaster waiting to happen

Live Reporting

Edited by Emily McGarvey and Holly Wallis

  1. 'When we went outside, there was no more city'

    Wali Eddin Mohamed sits on a blanket on the ground under a treeReuters

    Brick factory worker Wali Eddin Mohamed remembers hearing the sound of the dam near Derna collapsing in the middle of the night.

    “We woke up at around 03.00 or 03:30 in the morning, we heard a large bang, anyone who was awake in Derna for sure must have heard it," he told Reuters.

    "The water was unbelievable, everybody could hear it. When we went outside there was no more city, it had been razed to the ground," he said.

    "We woke up and couldn’t find anyone, we couldn’t find anyone we knew. May God have mercy on their souls in heaven.”

  2. Timeline: How did Libya's flood catastrophe unfold?

    A man sits on a damaged car, after a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Libya, in DernaREUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori

    Let's take a step back for a moment and remind ourselves how the devastation from Libya's huge floods unfolded in recent days.

    • Sunday 10 September - catastrophic flooding is triggered after rains from powerful Storm Daniel pound cities
    • Monday 11 - Tuesday 12 September - the devastating fallout from the huge flooding becomes clear as two dams burst above the port city of Derna, with whole neighbourhoods washed away
    • More than 10,000 people are missing and thousands more are displaced, Libyan officials approximate
    • Wednesday 13 September - some foreign aid arrives in the country but Libya's prime minister says his country "will only accept aid that is necessary”
    • Libya's disaster response is criticised for being too slow due to two competing governments who have been vying for power for over a decade
    • Thursday 14 September - the death toll becomes clearer as the mayor of Derna estimates that 18,000 to 20,000 people have died
    • The United Nations says "we could have avoided most of the human casualties" if warnings had been issued in Libya and evacuations had taken place
    • The UN also warns that disease from the contaminated water is the next threat for people affected by the disaster

    Correction 5 October 2023: This post has been changed to say that the dams burst on 11 September not 10 September.

  3. Watch: Ros Atkins on... Libya’s political turmoil and the floods

    The BBC's analysis editor Ros Atkins takes a look at the link between the devastating floods and years of crisis in Libya in this short explainer video:

    Watch: Ros Atkins on... Libya’s political turmoil and the floods

  4. Libyan Meteorological Centre insists it warned authorities

    While the UN's World Meteorological Organisation says many deaths could have been avoided if there had been a normally-operating weather forecasting service in Libya, the Libyan authorities say they did provide information about the extent of Storm Daniel.

    The Libyan National Meteorological Centre issued a statement earlier this week insisting that it had warned authorities about the rainfall 72 hours before the floods.

    The statement also said that a state of emergency was declared in the eastern regions based on these warnings.

  5. Analysis

    Aid workers' priority is to recover the dead

    Lina Sinjab
    BBC News

    Aid workers have begun arriving in Derna but this is not a search and rescue mission.

    Their priority is to recover the dead.

    Residents in the city are still looking for their loved ones, as bodies continue to wash up on the shore.

    The beach is covered with clothes, furniture and toys - all swept from homes hit by the flood water.

    Questions have been asked about why people weren't warned of cracks in two dams that eventually burst. The government was alerted but took no action.

    More than 5,000 people are known to have died so far. But as efforts to clear the rubble of eastern Libya continue, officials fear that number could get much higher.

  6. Here's what's been happening

    Members of the rescue team from the Egyptian army walk on the street in DernaReuters

    If you're just joining us or need a recap, here's what we know so far about the flooding in Libya:

    • More than 5,000 people are known to have died, and at least 10,000 are missing, after two dams burst, releasing a tsunami of water as people slept
    • The mayor of Derna, Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi, estimates between 18,000 and 20,000 people have died, based on the number of districts completely destroyed
    • Al-Ghaithi says he needs specialised teams to help with the recovery of bodies
    • An official from the Tobruk-based eastern Libyan government says the sea is "constantly dumping dozens of bodies"
    • Most human casualties could have been avoided, says the UN's World Meteorological Organization, if the right warnings had been issued by authorities
    • Disease from contaminated water is the next threat, the UN also warns
    • International teams from countries including Egypt, Tunisia, Italy, Spain and Turkey are on the ground helping with rescue efforts
    • Leaders of Libya's Tripoli-based administration are calling for an inquiry into the dam collapse

  7. In pictures: Aerial views of Derna reveal scale of damage

    Here are some of the latest pictures we've received that reveal the extent of the devastation across Derna.

    These photos were taken today and show the trail of destruction left in the path of the floodwater.

    Aerial view of Derna city, in the aftermath of the floods in LibyaREUTERS/Ayman Al-Sahili
    Aerial view of Derna city, in the aftermath of the floods in LibyaREUTERS/Ayman Al-Sahili
    Aerial view of Derna city, in the aftermath of the floods in LibyaREUTERS/Ayman Al-Sahili

  8. Food, medicine and body bags distributed in Derna

    Bread is being given out in Libya

    Bread is being given out by aid workers in Derna

    The process of giving out food, medicines and other vital supplies to affected communities in eastern Libya has begun, the International Committee of the Red Cross says.

    The aid agency says it has also sent more rescue teams to assist with humanitarian relief efforts, as well as strengthening forensics teams in nearby Benghazi.

    This team will help give out 6,000 body bags to assist authorities and the Libyan Red Crescent Society (a related organisation), to "ensure dignified treatment of the dead", the ICRC says.

    Kitchen sets, mattresses and hygiene items are to be distributed in Derna over the coming weeks, while medicines are also being donated in the next few days.

    The ICRC adds a major challenge for humanitarian action is access to the flood-hit areas, with many roads seriously damaged or entirely destroyed. It also notes the risk of unexploded bombs and abandoned explosive weapons stores in Derna.

  9. Poor dam maintenance pushed it to break, says Libya expert

    Survivors surrounded by debris, DernaReuters

    Some 20,000 people are feared dead in Derna

    A consultant involved in urban planning proposals for the eastern city of Benghazi tells the BBC she believes the lack of maintenance and monitoring is responsible for the dams in Derna breaking.

    Libya expert, Aya Burweila, tells BBC Newsday the lack of investment in the east of Libya is a problem, "that has dated back to the Gaddafi regime".

    Burweila says she accepts the strength of the storm did apply severe pressure to Libya, "but the lack of maintenance of the dam is what pushed it to break".

    Burweila adds the poor quality of infrastructure has been a long-standing issue in the country and that resources are not being allocated where they are needed most by Libya's split government.

  10. 'They didn't fully know the danger'

    A view shows a damaged car, following a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hitting the country, in Derna, LibyaReuters

    Derna has seen widespread damage

    We're hearing that residents of Derna did not know the full extent of the danger that Storm Daniel posed.

    Jaser Asweri, from a Libyan office of the Norwegian Refugee Council, works just outside the city and has family members living there.

    "When the hurricane came to Libya, we had a low level of preparation. The problem is not only the flooding but we’re speaking about very old dams, made in the 1970s, that aren’t maintained," he tells Nicky Campbell on 5 live.

    "People had been warned to leave their houses, but they didn’t fully know the danger," he adds.

    "Now, there are buildings in the valley sides which have been destroyed and washed into the sea."

  11. Weather warning system dysfunctional, UN says

    As we've been reporting, the UN's meteorological branch has criticised the warning systems that were in place in Libya.

    "If they would have been a normally operating meteorological service, they could have issued warnings," World Meteorological Organization (WMO) secretary-general Petteri Taalas said.

    Taalas said the WMO had previously attempted to assist Libyan authorities with reforming the meteorological system, but that these efforts had been hampered by security threats.

    "Since the security situation in the country is so difficult, it's difficult to go there and improve the situation," he said.

  12. In pictures: Displaced workers living in brick factory

    A group of workers from Sudan are among thousands who had family members killed and have been displaced by the flooding in Derna.

    Men sit on mattresses placed outisde on piles of unusued breeze blocksReuters

    The men have set up in a brick factory, sleeping outdoors on bare mattresses laid down on piles of breeze blocks

    A man sits on a makeshift table made of a wooden board and 4 bricks. Clothes are hanging out to dry above him on strings hung between temporary structures.Reuters

    The factory's unused products have also been repurposed as tables and seats

    Man cooks in a makeshift kitchen, with a bare lightbulb hanging and open shelves storing basic ingredients like rice, onions and cooking oil,Reuters

    The workers have a basic kitchen to prepare food in

    Five men squatting down next to a large platter of rice, sharing the food.Reuters

    They share a meal of rice in their temporary home

  13. UK stands ready to provide more support - minister

    A UK government minister says the country "stands ready to provide further support" to Libya.

    Foreign Office minister David Rutley, speaking in the House of Commons, says the situation is "very concerning".

    Libya is divided between rival governments in the east and west, but Rutley tells MPs it is “encouraging to hear that the two groups in Libya are working together or at least talking” about co-ordinating a response to the disaster.

    Yesterday, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced an initial package of up to £1m of support.

  14. BBC Verify

    More than a million tonnes of water released at once

    The worst of the destruction was caused by a catastrophic flood following the collapse of two dams on the Wadi Derna river flowing through the city.

    The river flowing through Derna is normally dry, but unusually heavy rain overwhelmed the dams.

    The dams held back a volume of water weighing around 1.5 million tonnes and the combination of the momentum flowing downhill and debris caught up in the torrent added to the flood's destructive power.

    Witnesses have said the water reached nearly three metres (10ft) in places.

    Six inches (20cm) of fast moving flood-water is enough to knock someone off their feet and 2ft (60cm) can float a car.

    Experts say the dams are likely to have been made from dumped and compacted soil or rocks, which is not as strong as concrete and more vulnerable to collapse when overfilled.

    Graphic showing water flow and destroyed bridges in Derna.

  15. 'Nobody took the storms seriously'

    A helicopter flies over damaged buildings, after a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit LibyaReuters

    The city of Derna has been left damaged following catastrophic flooding

    Mixed messages about the danger of Storm Daniel meant many people did not know whether to remain at home or evacuate, a Libyan expat living in Manchester has told BBC 5 live's Nicky Campbell.

    "When I asked my family (in Benghazi) why they weren’t leaving, many of them said they were getting mixed information, some say evacuate and some said stay," Amna Abullatif said, adding they had heard the storm was coming and the dams there might overfill.

    "I fear the same happened in Derna - that it was too late by that time for anyone to do anything because nobody took the storms seriously," she said.

  16. Libya deaths could have been avoided - UN
    Breaking

    The head of the UN's World Meteorological Organization says most of the deaths from the Libya floods could have been avoided.

    Petteri Taalas told journalists the country could have issued warnings.

    “Emergency management forces would have been able to carry out the evacuation of the people, and we could have avoided most of the human casualties,” the AFP news agency quotes him as saying.

    Libya has two rival governments, which has made it difficult to respond to disasters in a swift, co-ordinated manner.

    Each government announced separate precautionary measures, as the recent storm that caused the flooding headed towards the country.

    Read more: Libya turmoil made Derna flooding even more deadly

  17. BBC Verify

    Libya saw 260 times its monthly average rainfall in 24 hours

    The dams burst in Derna after Storm Daniel hit Libya earlier in the week, dumping record levels of rainfall on some of the country's coastal areas.

    The storm - a Mediterranean hurricane-like system known as a medicane - brought more than 400mm (16 inches) of rain to parts of the coast within a 24-hour period.

    That is an extraordinary deluge of water to fall on a region which usually sees only about 1.5mm throughout the whole of September.

    Or, to put it another way, more than 260 times the monthly average fell in just a single day.

    Satellite data shows the extent of some of the rainfall across the region - although in many places the amount recorded on the ground was higher.

    Map showing the heavy rainfall over northern Libya and highlighting Derna and Benghazi.

  18. What we know so far

    Rescue teams in LibyaReuters

    Rescue teams work around the clock to search destroyed buildings and recover bodies

    Here are the latest developments after the catastrophic flooding in eastern Libya when two dams collapsed following a huge storm:

    • The mayor of the port city Derna estimates that 18,000 to 20,000 people died when two dams burst, releasing a tsunami of water as people slept
    • Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi told al-Arabiya TV his estimate was based on the number of districts completely destroyed by the flood water and said he needs teams specialised in recovering bodies
    • Disease is the next threat. The UN has warned of the danger of disease from the contaminated water
    • An official from the Tobruk-based eastern Libyan government said the sea was "constantly dumping dozens of bodies"
    • More than 5,000 people are known to have died, and at least 10,000 are missing
    • International aid and rescue efforts are ramping up with rescue teams from countries including Egypt, Tunisia, Italy, Spain and Turkey on the ground
    • Leaders of Libya's Tripoli-based administration are calling for an inquiry into the dam collapse

  19. 'Race against time' to bury bodies

    Members of the rescue team from the Egyptian army look at the damaged cars,Reuters

    Emergency workers in Libya are in a "race against time" to bury the dead from the flood in Derna to prevent disease, the Libyan Ambulance and Emergency Service has told Al-Hadath TV.

    It says one of the hospitals in Derna city was filled with bodies which had to be removed for burial.

    Samples are taken from the bodies for DNA analysis.

    Rescue teams have been able to enter several remote areas in Derna and Sousse but an Al-Hadath correspondent says there are some parts that are still difficult to reach.

  20. Watch: Drone footage shows neighbourhoods under water

    The flooding in Derna swept away houses, buildings and left entire neighbourhoods surrounded by water.

    The mayor of the city says between 18,000 and 20,000 people have died as a result.

    The footage in this video was filmed yesterday and today.

    Drone footage shows neighbourhoods under water