Libya dam collapse: Probe launched into allocation of maintenance funds
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Derna's mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi has expressed concerns that the death toll in Derna alone could exceed 20,000, given the extent of the damage.
Libya's chief prosecutor has taken the initiative to investigate the recent collapse of the two dams that led to catastrophic floods, focusing on whether improved maintenance practices could have prevented this disaster, media reports said. “I reassure citizens that whoever made mistakes or negligence, prosecutors will certainly take firm measures, file a criminal case against him, and send him to trial,” Libya's Attorney General Al-Siddiq Al-Sour said at a news conference.
He disclosed that approximately $8 million had been allocated for dam maintenance. The allocation and spending of maintenance funds will also be investigated.
This comes as the United Nations, on September 14, highlighted that many deaths in Libya's Derna resulting from the floods could have been averted if early warning and emergency management systems had been functioning properly.
In the aftermath of heavy rains brought by Mediterranean storm Daniel, eastern Libya experienced widespread flooding. This led to the collapse of two dams near the port city of Derna earlier in the week, resulting in severe damage to a quarter of the area, which was subsequently declared a disaster zone.
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Media reports quoting Libya's Attorney General Al-Siddiq Al-Sour said that decades-old studies revealed cracks in the two dams. The dams were primarily built to safeguard the city from floods.
These studies indicated cracks and subsidence that could have eventually led to dam collapse, said Al-Sour.
A team comprising 26 prosecutors will be dispatched to Derna to document victims and ascertain the causes of death, he said. As investigations are ongoing, an accurate count of the fatalities remains unavailable.
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Staggering number of deaths
The Libyan Red Crescent reported that, as of Friday (September 15), at least 11,300 people have lost their lives, and an additional 10,100 were still missing in the wake of the devastating floods.
Derna's mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi has expressed concerns that the death toll in Derna alone could exceed 20,000, given the extent of the damage.
Libya's National Center of Meteorology reported that more than 16 inches of rain fell within a 24-hour period in the northeastern city of Bayda. Climate experts have reportedly linked this disaster to the impacts of a warming planet, exacerbated by years of political instability and deteriorating infrastructure in the country.
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