As survivors looked for loved ones who had been swept away by floodwaters, Libyan authorities ordered an investigation on Thursday to determine whether human error was to blame for the thousands of fatalities in the nation's greatest natural disaster in recent memory.
On Sunday night, a torrent caused by a strong storm shattered dams, hurtling down a seasonal riverbed that divides the eastern city of Derna and washing multiple-story buildings with sleeping families inside into the sea. The number of confirmed deaths reported by authorities has ranged, but they have always been in the tens of thousands, with thousands more listed as missing. According to Derna Mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi, the death toll in the city may already be between 18,000 and 20,000.
He claimed he feared an infection would now spread over the city "due to bodies under the rubble and in the water."
According to the World Meteorological Organization, if Libya, a failing state for more than ten years, had a functioning weather bureau in place, the significant loss of life might have been prevented.
"If there would have been a normally operating meteorological service, they could have issued warnings," WMO secretary-general Petteri Taalashe said in Geneva. "The emergency management authorities would have been able to carry out evacuation of the people..."
Other observers drew attention to earlier warnings, such as a research article released last year that described the city's susceptibility to flooding and the urgent need for dam maintenance.
The three-member council that serves as the presidency of Libya's internationally recognized government, led by Mohamed al-Menfi, declared that the council has instructed the attorney general to look into the catastrophe. A minister in the government that controls eastern Libya, Hichem Abu Chkiouat, said it was likely that authorities might declare the city a military zone to aid with rescue efforts and prevent any civilians, including the journalists, from entering.
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