A Libyan official says the dams destroyed by massive amounts of water brought by Storm Daniel were not properly maintained after decades of government neglect, which led to the catastrophe.
“These two dams exploded. As far as urban planning, people were building homes along the river. We have been through mass chaos for 50 years so that’s the problem,” said Mahmoud Iftessi from Libya’s National Economic and Social Development Board.
“The disaster is beyond the capacity of the Libyan infrastructure. If there is any other word more severe than disaster – we can call it that,” he told Al Jazeera.
Some 10,000 people are believed to be missing following the major floods, according to an official from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).