The deluge appeared to have done its worst damage to Derna, a city where 2,300 people were confirmed dead and another 5,000 were missing, according to the Ambulance and Emergency Service.
Othman Abduljaleel, the health minister in Libya’s eastern government, described the situation as “catastrophic.”
“The bodies are still lying on the ground in many parts (of the city). Hospitals are filled with bodies. And there are areas we have yet to reach,” he said, according to the Associated Press.
That means the toll is likely to rise significantly in the coming days, aid groups warned.
Tamer Ramadan, Libya envoy for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told a video news conference Tuesday that the final death toll could be much higher.
“We confirmed from our independent sources of information the number of missing people is hitting 10,000 persons, so far,” he said, adding that this is not a finalized figure.
The disaster in Libya was “as devastating as the situation in Morocco,” Ramadan said, referring to the earthquake that hit on Friday and killed more than 2,800 people.
“The humanitarian needs are huge,” Ramadan added.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
