A devastating flood that tore through eastern Libya has left at least 11,300 people dead and thousands more still missing. The deadly downpour began over the weekend when torrential downpours from Cyclone Daniel caused two upstream river dams to burst. The nearby city of Derna was overwhelmed, and reporters describe miles upon miles filed with distraught survivors and debris. It is reportedly Africa's deadliest storm in recorded history and the most lethal natural disaster so far this year.
The storm began over the Ionian Sea and damaged a few other countries on its way to Libya, including Bulgaria and Turkey. In Greece, Daniel killed 16 people and swamped the country's agricultural center, the effects of which will be felt of years to come, Politico reported, putting additional strain on a region already struggling under climate change. But Libya has by far taken the worst damage from the storm, with an estimated 30 million cubic metres of water released when the dams gave way.
