A frantic search for thousands of people is under way in eastern Libya, following a devastating flood which has killed thousands of people and left tens of thousands missing.
At least 5,000 people have died, according to officials – with 10,000 estimated to be missing – after the catastrophic flooding hit several cities in the country.
It was caused by torrential rains brought on by Storm Daniel, which burst dams, wiped out infrastructure and buildings and swept people away.
The storm has hit the cities of Benghazi, Susa, Bayda and al-Marj, but the port city of Derna has been ravaged.
There, rescuers are digging through rubble and some of the recovered bodies are being buried in mass graves, the BBC reported. The streets are covered in mud, rubble and damaged vehicles.
Why did the storm prove so deadly?
Storm Daniel first bought deadly floods to central Greece last week when it killed 15 people and destroyed homes, roads and crops.
It then moved south along the North Africa coast, reaching Benghazi on Sunday afternoon.
The system is known as a “Medicane” – a combination of words “Mediterranean” and “hurricane” – which is a tropical-like cyclone which forms by warm waters in the Mediterranean sea and behaves like a hurricane.
Climate expert Christos Zerefos, secretary general of the Academy of Athens, told Reuters the flood was an “unprecedented event” and more rain drenched the area than ever recorded since records began in the mid-19th century.
“We expect such phenomena to happen more often,” he added.
