Flood death toll in Libya's Derna soars to 11,300 — aid group

The death toll in Libya's coastal city of Derna has soared to 11,300 as search efforts continue following a massive flood fed by the breaching of two dams in heavy rains, the Libyan Red Crescent said.

Marie el Drese, the aid group's secretary general, told The Associated Press by phone on Thursday that a further 10,100 people are reported missing in the Mediterranean city.

Health authorities previously put the death toll in Derna at 5,500.

The storm also killed about 170 people elsewhere in the country.

The flooding swept away entire families in Derna on Sunday night and exposed vulnerabilities in the oil-rich country that has been mired in conflict since a 2011 uprising that toppled long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said the scale of the disaster was shocking.

"Entire neighbourhoods have been wiped off the map. Whole families, taken by surprise, were swept away in the deluge of water. Thousands have died, tens of thousands are now homeless, and many more remain unaccounted for."

Global aid efforts

Global aid efforts for Libya have gathered pace after the deadly flood.

Aid has been sent or promised by numerous regional nations, including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Tunisia, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, and Palestine.

The United States has also pledged to help, and in Europe, the aid effort has been joined by Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and Romania.

Access to Derna remains severely hampered as roads and bridges have been destroyed and power and phone lines cut to wide areas, where at least 30,000 people are now homeless.

Climate experts have linked the disaster to the impacts of a heating planet combined with Libya's decaying infrastructure.