Current:Home > MarketsAP PHOTOS: Satellite images show flood devastation that killed more than 11,000 in Libya -Streamline Finance
AP PHOTOS: Satellite images show flood devastation that killed more than 11,000 in Libya
View
Date:2025-04-25 10:29:21
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! (97)
Related
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Kate Spade Outlet’s Early Black Friday Sale – Get a $259 Bag for $59 & More Epic Deals Starting at $25
- Waymo’s robotaxis now open to anyone who wants a driverless ride in Los Angeles
- Tua Tagovailoa tackle: Dolphins QB laughs off taking knee to head vs. Rams on 'MNF'
- How breaking emerged from battles in the burning Bronx to the Paris Olympics stage
- Kevin Costner says he hasn't watched John Dutton's fate on 'Yellowstone': 'Swear to God'
- Democrat Cleo Fields wins re-drawn Louisiana congressional district, flipping red seat blue
- Wheel of Fortune Contestant Goes Viral Over His Hilariously Wrong Answer
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- Voters in California city reject measure allowing noncitizens to vote in local races
Ranking
- Tropical weather brings record rainfall. Experts share how to stay safe in floods.
- Jason Kelce collaborates with Stevie Nicks for Christmas duet: Hear the song
- Fantasy football waiver wire: 10 players to add for NFL Week 11
- Jennifer Lopez Turns Wicked Premiere Into Family Outing With 16-Year-Old Emme
- Giants, Lions fined $200K for fights in training camp joint practices
- Katherine Schwarzenegger Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Pratt
- Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 11
- Brian Austin Green Shares Message to Sharna Burgess Amid Ex Megan Fox's Baby News
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Brands Our Editors Are Thankful For in 2024
Chicago Bears will ruin Caleb Williams if they're not careful | Opinion
Bitcoin has topped $87,000 for a new record high. What to know about crypto’s post-election rally
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
Stock market today: Asian shares mostly decline, shrugging off Wall Street’s overnight rally
Tua Tagovailoa tackle: Dolphins QB laughs off taking knee to head vs. Rams on 'MNF'
Wind-whipped wildfire near Reno prompts evacuations but rain begins falling as crews arrive