Watch: Floods leave trail of destruction in Libya

Libya is currently grappling with devastating floods that are believed to have killed over 2,000 people, destroyed houses, and washed away vehicles and entire neighbourhoods. Videos have been doing rounds on social media showing the extent of damage caused by the floods.

A video, uploaded on X, formerly Twitter, captures the moment large volumes of water along with debris flow down the valley. People can be seen escaping the area in their vehicles.

Another video, shared on X, shows a man crying for help as he gets swept away in the flood amid heavy rain and strong winds.

The aerial footage shows inundated residential areas with cars partially submerged.

Efforts are underway to rescue those left stranded during the floods. Hundreds of bodies have been retrieved by rescue teams from the rubble in a coastal city that witnessed widespread damage. According to authorities, around 2,000 people are feared dead in the city of Derna.

Ahmed Mismari, the spokesperson for the Libyan National Army (LNA), said in a news conference that the floods were triggered after dams above Derna collapsed, “sweeping whole neighbourhoods with their residents into the sea", reported Reuters.

Storm Daniel caused heavy rain in Libya’s northeast that resulted in the two dams collapsing and water flooding the nearby areas. Othman Abduljalil, health minister in Libya’s eastern parliament-backed government, visited Derna on Monday and described parts of it as a “ghost town”, according to CNN.

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