The death toll in Libya’s coastal city of Derna has risen to 11,300 while another 10,000 are still missing. The Libyan International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that that figure is expected to grow as the recovery effort continues and more bodies are retrieved from the mud. According to reports, most of the dead were buried in mass graves outside Derna, while others were transferred to nearby towns and cities. The International Medical Corps says infectious disease is now a risk, and more body bags are urgently needed. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization has called the situation unprecedented.
Earlier, the United Nations has said that most of the thousands of deaths in Libya’s flood disaster could have been averted if early warning and emergency management systems had functioned properly. Head of UN’s World Meteorological Organization Petteri Taalas said that with better functioning coordination in Libya, warnings could have been issued on time to carry out the evacuation of the people. His comments came after a tsunami-sized flash flood hit eastern Libya at the weekend.