(MENAFN) Libya’s General Authority for the Search and Identification of Missing Persons announced on Wednesday that 3,297 people remain missing from the devastating 2023 floods in Derna, marking the first official tally since the disaster.

Kamal al-Siwi, head of the authority, said around 3,078 DNA reference samples have been collected and analyzed, with further examination underway on unidentified remains.

The floods struck eastern Libya on September 10, 2023, when the Al-Bilad and Abu Mansour dams in Wadi Derna collapsed during Storm Daniel. The resulting surge killed 4,540 people, including 3,964 Libyans and 576 foreigners.

In the disaster’s aftermath, 12 countries provided aid, including Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Tunisia, Algeria, Malta, Italy, Spain, and France. In July 2024, the Derna Criminal Court sentenced 12 officials to 9–27 years in prison over the dam collapses.

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