Current:Home > reviewsAP PHOTOS: Satellite images show flood devastation that killed more than 11,000 in Libya -Momentum Wealth Path
AP PHOTOS: Satellite images show flood devastation that killed more than 11,000 in Libya
View
Date:2025-04-24 11:47:07
DERNA, Libya (AP) — Images taken by satellite show the physical devastation from a flood that killed at least 11,300 people in the eastern Libyan city of Derna.
Two dams above Derna burst early Monday under the pressure from rain dropped by a storm. The pent-up water swept blocks of low-lying downtown Derna out to the Mediterranean Sea.
Many said they heard loud explosions as the dams exploded. A flood several meters (many feet) high rolled down a mountainside into the city.
Images made about 400 miles above the earth’s surface show that the storm left a brown layer of mud and dirt across the city.
Untold numbers are buried under mud and debris that includes overturned cars and chunks of concrete. The death toll soared to 11,300 as search efforts continue, Marie el-Drese, secretary-general of the Libyan Red Crescent, told The Associated Press by phone Thursday.
She said that an additional 10,100 had been reported missing. Health authorities previously put the death toll in Derna at 5,500.
The satellite pictures show dirt and debris stretching out to sea into Derna’s shallow waters, which appeared visibly brown near the shoreline. Many bodies washed out to sea have come back with the tide, rescue workers say.
The floods have displaced at least 30,000 people in Derna, according to the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration, and several thousand others were forced to leave their homes in other eastern towns, it said.
Bridges and other basic infrastructure have also been wiped out, especially buildings near the Wadi Derna river.
Because of the damage to roads, aid only began trickling into the city on Tuesday evening.
veryGood! (438)
Related
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- 6.8 million expected to lose Medicaid when paperwork hurdles return
- At Davos, the Greta-Donald Dust-Up Was Hardly a Fair Fight
- Step Inside RuPaul's Luxurious Beverly Hills Mansion
- The Grammy nominee you need to hear: Esperanza Spalding
- This winter's U.S. COVID surge is fading fast, likely thanks to a 'wall' of immunity
- When is it OK to make germs worse in a lab? It's a more relevant question than ever
- State Clean Air Agencies Lose $112 Million in EPA Budget-Cutting
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
- Jimmie Allen's Estranged Wife Alexis Shares Sex of Baby No. 3
Ranking
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Here's why you should make a habit of having more fun
- 16 Perfect Gifts For the Ultimate Bridgerton Fan
- Weapons expert Hannah Gutierrez-Reed accused of being likely hungover on set of Alec Baldwin movie Rust before shooting
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Tipflation may be causing tipping backlash as more digital prompts ask for tips
- Wegovy works. But here's what happens if you can't afford to keep taking the drug
- Kayaker in Washington's Olympic National Park presumed dead after fiancee tries in vain to save him
Recommendation
Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
How will Trump's lawyers handle his federal indictment? Legal experts predict these strategies will be key
A Trump-appointed Texas judge could force a major abortion pill off the market
Hollywood, Everwood stars react to Treat Williams' death: I can still feel the warmth of your presence
Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
Step Inside RuPaul's Luxurious Beverly Hills Mansion
Emotional Vin Diesel Details How Meadow Walker’s Fast X Cameo Honors Her Late Dad Paul Walker
With Oil Sands Ambitions on a Collision Course With Climate Change, Exxon Still Stepping on the Gas