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Aid pours into flood-stricken Libya as death toll tops 11,000

More than 11,300 have been confirmed killed in Libya’s port city of Derna after flash floods swept through the city on Sunday.

Mohamed Shalesh/Getty Images
An aerial view shows the city of Derna following floods on Sept. 13, 2023 in Derna, Libya. — Mohamed Shalesh/Getty Images

More than three days after catastrophic floods ravaged Libya’s eastern port city of Derna, the death toll continues to rise and thousands remain missing.

On Sunday, the devastating Storm Daniel hit the coastal areas of Libya. Two dams upstream from Derna collapsed under the pressure of the water from the storm.

Survivors say a wave of more than 20 feet high wiped out entire buildings and washed people into the Mediterranean Sea.

According to the Libyan Red Crescent, 11,300 people have been killed in Derna alone. More than 10,100 remain missing, Marie el-Drese, the aid group’s secretary-general, told the Associated Press on Thursday.

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