Libya's chief prosecutor orders investigation into collapse of 2 dams amid floods

Libya's chief prosecutor announced Friday he has ordered an investigation into the collapse of two dams during catastrophic floods.

Libya's chief prosecutor announced Friday he has ordered an investigation into the collapse of two overwhelmed dams during the catastrophic floods -- and whether better maintenance could have avoided the disaster.

After Mediterranean storm Daniel brought heavy rains, and widespread flooding, to eastern Libya, two dams near the port city of Derna collapsed earlier this week, wiping out a quarter of the area. The city has been declared a disaster zone.

PHOTO: People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023.
People search for flood victims in Derna, Libya, Friday, Sept. 15, 2023. Search teams are combing streets, wrecked buildings, and even the sea to look for bodies in Derna, where the collapse of two dams unleashed a massive flash flood that killed thousands of people.
Ricardo Garcia Vilanova/AP

MORE: Libya flooding deaths top 11,000 with another 10,000 missing

Decades-old studies showed that the two dams, built primarily to protect the city from floods, suffered cracks and subsidence that may lead to their collapse, according to Libya Attorney General Al-Siddiq Al-Sour.

Al-Sour said around $8 million had been allocated for maintenance that was halted months after it began when the Arab Spring uprising broke out in the country in the early 2010s. Prosecutors are investigating the spending of dam maintenance funds, he told reporters Friday.

PHOTO: A view shows the damaged areas, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya, Sept. 13, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.
A view shows the damaged areas, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya, Sept. 13, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.
Marwan Alfaituri via Reuters

A team of 26 prosecutors will also head to Derna to keep a record of victims and identify causes of deaths, he said. His office did not have an accurate tally of deaths as investigations remain underway.

According to the Libyan Red Crescent, at least 11,300 people have died and another 10,100 were reported missing as of Friday in the wake of the destructive floods.

The death toll in Derna could reach upwards of 20,000 people, based on the extent of the damage, Derna Mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi said Thursday.

MORE: Most casualties in Libya floods could have been avoided: World Meteorological Organization chief

Libya's National Center of Meteorology reported that more than 16 inches of rain fell in the northeastern city of Bayda within a 24-hour period to Sunday, according to the flood tracking website Floodlist.

The head of the United Nation's World Meteorological Organization said Thursday that most of Libya's flooding casualties could have been avoided if the divided country had a functioning meteorological service.

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