Rescue efforts continue in flood-hit Libya as hopes for finding survivors dim

TRIPOLI, Libya

Rescue teams continued to search the rubble of destroyed buildings on Wednesday amid diminishing hopes for finding survivors following the deadly floods that killed thousands.

Nearly 4,000 people have died in floods caused by Mediterranean storm Daniel in Libya on Sept. 10, while more than 40,000 people have been displaced, according to UN figures.

The eastern city of Derna was hardest hit by the floods, causing the city’s dams to burst, washing away homes and people.

“Hopes are diminishing for finding survivors,” Walid Bubaker, a spokesman of East Libya-based Interior Ministry, told Anadolu.

“However, we didn’t lose hope as efforts to search for those missing are still ongoing,” he said.

Bubaker said the rescue teams continue to comb through rubble despite the dim hopes.

“The last survivor to have been found was on Sunday when rescuers pulled out two sisters alive from under the debris of their destroyed house,” he said.

“The following day, around 55 corpses were found in Derna city, and seven dead bodies in other cities,” the spokesman said.

On Wednesday, Libya's Tripoli-based High Council of State, which acts as a senate, called for an international investigation into the deadly floods in the country. ​​​​​

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar