Libyan government has expressed fears that the death toll from the devastating flood that swept through the eastern parts of the country could rise to 20,000.
Gatekeepers News reports that the city of Derna, home to approximately 100,000 people, has been worst hit.
Major parts of the city were swept away on Sunday after Storm Daniel, an extremely deadly Mediterranean tropical-like cyclone, collapsed two dams and four bridges.
The dams were said to have submerged many buildings in the area while drowning some residents.
As of Tuesday, the death toll stood at 3,000 while 10,000 were reported missing; meanwhile officials said the figures could rise.
Footages from the internet showed that Derna is now a wide, flat crescent of earth with stretches of muddy water.
Mayor of Derna, Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi while speaking to Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television on Thursday, said the estimated number of deaths in the city could reach between 18,000 to 20,000 based on the number of districts destroyed by the flood.
Meanwhile, many countries have sent their condolences and have begun to rollout aid for the North African country, as the official death toll surpasses 5,000.
President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, condoled with the government of Libya, adding that Nigeria is ready to provide needed support.
