Authorities in divided Libya have asked the Attorney General’s Office, which operates throughout the country, to investigate the collapse of two dams in Derna, a city located in eastern Libya and the most hit by the floods caused by Storm Daniel earlier this week.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent movement reported this Thursday (14) that at least 11,300 people died in Derna.
Due to disputes over the last 12 years, western Libya is governed by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, is based in Tripoli and is recognized by the international community. The east, a region hit by floods, is administered by the House of Representatives, is headquartered in Benghazi and is associated with military commander Khalifa Hifter.
The chairman of Libya’s Presidential Council, Mohammed Al-Menfi, called for an investigation into the collapse of the Derna dams, as well as Dbeibah.
“I have asked the Attorney General to launch an urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the Derna dams and ordered the relevant authorities to cooperate fully in this matter,” Dbeibah wrote in X.
Authorities are also calling for an investigation into the curfews enacted in Derna before and during the storm. According to news website Middle East Eye, experts who reported last year that the dams were in trouble issued warnings and said residents should be alerted to the danger.
However, according to the website, local authorities and representatives of divided governments continued to assert that the situation was under control and to deny reports about the possible collapse of the dams.
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