The Libyan Attorney General wants to clarify how the fatal dam bursts could have occurred. The focus of the investigation is the apparent lack of maintenance on the dams.
In Libya, the Attorney General’s Office has announced that it will investigate the dam breaches that led to massive destruction in the city of Darna in the east of the country.
Prosecutor General Al-Sedik al-Sur announced that the focus of the investigation should be on clarifying how the two dams could have burst.
But it should also be clarified who has received what financial resources for the maintenance of the dams in recent years. That is why the local authorities and previous governments are the focus of the investigation. A government audit agency’s 2021 report said the two dams were not maintained despite more than $2 million being allocated for this purpose in 2012 and 2013, according to the AP news agency.
The Attorney General emphasized: “I assure citizens that the Public Prosecutor’s Office will take decisive action against anyone who has committed a mistake or negligence, will initiate a criminal case against him and bring him to justice.”
Also Prime Minister criticizes the lack of maintenance of the dams
The Prime Minister of the internationally recognized government based in Tripoli, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, had previously called for investigations into the dam breaches. He had also made the accusation that there had been maintenance contracts for the dams, but these had not been carried out – even though government spending amounted to millions.
However, it remains unclear how seamless the investigation by the public prosecutor’s office can be in a country that has been politically torn for years. The internationally recognized government has virtually no influence in eastern Libya. Allies of General Khalifa Haftar, who is powerful there, have already announced their own investigations.
Search for victims in disaster areas continues
In the areas affected by the floods, rescue operations and the search for missing people or possible survivors continue six days after the disaster. Up to 20,000 deaths are feared in Darna alone.
According to the aid organization Red Crescent, more than 11,300 bodies have been recovered so far. More than 10,000 people are still missing. The Libyan Ministry of Health officially reported almost 4,000 deaths that had been identified and registered.