Flood-hit Derna struggles with huge number 
of dead bodies, as UN advises against mass graves

More than 5,000 people are presumed dead after flash floods and collapsed dams devastated the Libyan city of Derna and surrounding areas

The area around Derna in Libya has been devastated by flash floods after two dams broke. Photo: Reuters/Esam Omran Al-Fetori

Ahmed Elumami

Residents and rescue workers in the devastated Libyan city of Derna are struggling to cope with the thousands of corpses washing up or decaying under rubble, after a flood that smashed down buildings and swept people out to sea.

The WHO and other aid groups called on authorities in Libya to stop burying flood victims in mass graves, saying these could bring long-term mental distress to families or might cause health risks.