Disasters
Thousands of bodies feared under rubble in Libya
Helpers bury victims of flash floods in Libya. photo
© Yousef Murad/AP/dpa
People continue to suffer in the Libyan flood plains. They lack basic necessities, especially clean water. Nobody knows the exact number of deaths, but it is immense.
The situation in the flood areas in Libya remains dramatic. You have to expect that there will be thousands of corpses among the people A spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told the German Press Agency on Wednesday that rubble could be found in the mud.
It is still very difficult to provide precise information about the number of victims. It was estimated that at least 10,000 people were missing. “The chance of finding survivors is very low,” said the spokeswoman. At the same time, the survivors lack the bare necessities. They still have no access to clean drinking water, food, shelter, electricity or communication options with the outside world.
The ICRC has so far provided 6,000 body bags to local authorities and the Libyan Red Crescent. According to the spokeswoman, 5,000 more are to follow. At the same time, the ICRC provided forensic experts to help identify the bodies. Rescue work continues to be extremely difficult as many areas are still very difficult to reach. Many roads and bridges suffered enormous damage from the floods. According to ICRC assessments, the information situation is also complicated: “There is no internet connection, telephone conversations are difficult,” said the spokeswoman.
Libyan activists working for the flood victims told the German Press Agency that many bodies had been buried without identification. Data analyst Nour Momen, who is helping to list and identify the bodies, said there were collection points for bodies in the hard-hit port city of Darna. Survivors gathered at the sites to possibly learn more about missing relatives so that bodies could be identified and buried.
The German Red Cross (DRK) meanwhile wants to send relief supplies to the flood area in Libya. Among other things, there is an urgent need for water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, the DRK said. A plane with drinking water treatment systems, drinking water tanks and pumps is scheduled to take off from Leipzig/Halle Airport on Friday (September 22nd).