The floods which hit the town of Derna in Libya caused a real catastrophe, with a death toll of more than 3,300. Twelve days after this tragedy, a special correspondent from RFI was able to enter the city and observe the damage caused by bad weather. The affected neighborhoods, generally closed to the public and the press, were visited alongside soldiers from the Libyan National Army (LNA).
Upon entering the city, an atmosphere of silence and desolation reigns. Residents fled, leaving behind a city center emptied of its population. More than a third of the city was destroyed, giving the impression of a veritable ghost town. Amidst the rubble, only the sounds of excavators and search work for the missing can be heard.
All the bridges connecting the city have been destroyed, making access to the city center impossible. Bypass tracks have been set up to allow entry and exit from the city. The ANL justified the closure of the city center by the need to secure the premises and facilitate search operations for the missing.
In the Chiha district, a few families managed to find refuge in a school located high up, spared from bad weather. But the survivors’ stories are all tinged with sadness and dismay. What they call “the flood” turned their lives upside down. Bereaved families are mainly hosted by their relatives in other cities, but very few are hosted in centers or schools. A room displaying photos of deceased and unidentified people has been set up to help families identify their missing loved ones.
In this chaos, a Sudanese woman was able to bury her husband and daughter, but her other child is still missing. It bears witness to the extent of the destruction and despair that affects the entire population of Derna.
The death toll continues to rise, with 223 new bodies buried last Thursday, bringing the total number to around 3,360. However, this figure does not take into account those still missing. Local authorities hope that the sea or land will return the bodies of lost loved ones.
The situation in Derna is truly apocalyptic, and it will take considerable time and effort to rebuild the city and allow its residents to recover from this tragedy. Solidarity and national and international aid will be essential to support this hard-hit population. It is important to stay informed about this situation in order to contribute, at our level, to relieving the suffering of the inhabitants of Derna.