Some survivors of Libya’s deadly storm described moments of panic and tension when a dam in Derna, in the country’s east, burst this Monday.
Many were still in their pajamas and slippers when they heard what sounded like an explosion and were forced to flee the flood caused by the breach. In some cases, the water reached the third floor of buildings.
According to some reports provided by Reuters, the city center was destroyed and is now full of corpses.
Houses collapsed and were flooded with water. Survivors speak of a miracle
Raja Sassi, 39, his wife and young daughter survived the flood. In the house where they lived, the water reached the second floor and the rest of the family with whom they lived died.
“At first we thought it was just heavy rain, but at midnight we heard a big explosion and it was a dam break. The city center was full of corpses,” he said, as quoted by Reuters.
Raja Sassi’s wife, Nouria al-Hasadi, 31, said the fact that they survived was a “true miracle” and that she hugged her daughter as they escaped.
After the dam collapsed, the water caused many buildings to collapse. Safia Mustafa, a mother of two, said she had previously managed to escape from home. A woman saw her ten-year-old son praying to God for survival.
The 46-year-old lawyer said she survived the crash by holding on to a piece of furniture to avoid drowning. I lived on the third floor of the house, and still the water rose and reached almost to the ceiling.
“I can swim, but when I tried to save my family, I couldn’t do anything. Flood waters receded into the building just before it collapsed with the mother inside,” he said.
At least five thousand dead in Libya
Storm Daniel hit eastern Libya on Sunday afternoon and killed at least five thousand people. More than ten thousand more were missing.
Described by experts as an extreme event in terms of the amount of water that fell, Storm Daniel was also responsible for the deaths of at least 27 people in Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria.
Two dams collapsed on Monday, releasing a total of 33 million cubic meters of water and leaving entire residential areas behind, prompting local authorities to set up a field hospital.
Author: morning Post
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.