Libya flood: ‘There’s a smell of decay and death in the air’on September 16, 2023 at 2:42 pm

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The BBC’s Anna Foster is in Libya, a week on from devastating floods in the region.

Rescuers in Libya’s Derna have told the BBC that bodies are continuing to wash up in the sea, a week on from the devastating floods which swept through the eastern city.

A Turkish team said they removed three bodies from the water just on Saturday morning.

There are fears for survivors in the city, with not enough medicine and clean water for those who have been made homeless.

A spokesperson for one aid organisation said trying to coordinate operations there was a “nightmare”, with difficulty getting aid and rescue teams into the area.

Thousands of people were killed when two dams burst in the wake of Storm Daniel, washing away whole neighbourhoods in the city.

One official has denied allegations that many of those killed were told to stay at home – asserting that soldiers told people to flee.

Figures for the number of people who have been killed vary between 6,000 to 11,000. With thousands still missing, the city’s mayor says the total could reach 20,000.

BBC correspondent Anna Foster reports from the shoreline of the city.

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