(Al Jazeera Media Network) Officials in eastern Libya say more than 5,000 people have died in devastating floods caused by Storm Daniel.
Aid agencies have so far provided lower estimates but warn the number of victims could sharply rise as thousands remain unaccounted.
The deputy mayor of Derna, Ahmed Madroud, said that “at least 20 percent of the city has been destroyed.”
He explained by phone that the reason behind the devastation was related to the weak infrastructure in the city and the fact that many buildings were clustered in narrow streets located close to the river.
“When the river overflowed its banks, it just took all the buildings with it, and the families that were in it,” he said.