Libya floods: death toll set to rise with 10,000 reported missing

More than 6,000 people reported dead, with hundreds of bodies still washing ashore

Two men amid ruined buildings, in the aftermath of flooding in Libya
Entire neighbourhoods have been washed away, with many bodies swept out to sea.
(Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

The death toll from two catastrophic dam collapses in eastern Libya has risen to 6,000, a unity government official has said, as rescue workers continue to recover hundreds of bodies from the coastal city of Derna.

At least 10,000 people are missing, the Red Cross confirmed, following flooding that struck Derna over the weekend after the two dams collapsed. Local officials have said that many of those yet to be found are unlikely to be alive.

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.