Libya Reports Thousands Still Missing from Derna Floods

(MENAFN) Libya’s General Authority for the Search and Identification of Missing Persons disclosed on Wednesday that 3,297 individuals are still unaccounted for following the devastating floods that struck the eastern city of Derna nearly two years ago.

This is the first time an official count of the missing has been released since the disaster occurred.

The announcement was made during a media briefing held in Tripoli by the head of the authority, Kamal al-Siwi.

The update was also shared through a post on the platform operated by the US social networking company Facebook.

“We have recorded 3,297 missing people from the victims of Storm Daniel, which struck the city of Derna,” stated Al-Siwi.

Al-Siwi added that the authority had gathered approximately 3,078 comparative DNA samples, which were forwarded to the laboratories department.

The department has finished analyzing these samples, completed the genetic profile database for the victims, and initiated the examination of bone samples taken from unidentified remains.

On September 10, 2023, Storm Daniel, a powerful Mediterranean storm, swept through multiple regions in eastern Libya.

The most severely affected areas included the cities of Benghazi, Al Bayda, Al Marj, and Susah, with Derna suffering the worst devastation.

The catastrophic event followed the collapse of the Al-Bilad and Abu Mansour dams.

These dams had previously restrained the waters of Wadi Derna. When they failed, the released floodwaters surged with immense force, obliterating nearly everything in their path.

The tragedy claimed the lives of 4,540 people — among them 3,964 Libyans and 576 foreign nationals — based on official data.

Until Al-Siwi’s recent announcement, no formal accounting of the missing had been made public since the catastrophe.

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