Now, about a thousand miles to the east, heavy rains across the northeastern Libyan coast have unleashed torrential flooding.
The city of Derna has been most acutely affected, after raging torrents of water tore through two dams and swept entire buildings into the sea. Othman Abdul Jalil, health minister and spokesman of the U.N.-recognized government in western Libya, told local television channel al-Masar that the situation continues to deteriorate in the eastern city, and at least 2,000 people have been found dead.
“I expect numbers of dead will rise to 10,000,” he told the channel early on Tuesday. The final death toll remains unknown, as many parts of the city remain inaccessible, he said. Derna is estimated to have had around 90,000 residents.
Ten thousand fatalities is a mind-boggling total.
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