The Libyan Attorney General, Al-Siddiq Al-Sour announced the results of investigations into the disaster of Storm Daniel, which claimed the lives of thousands in eastern Libya.
The investigations into the disaster in Derna revealed “negligence in maintaining the city’s dams,” characterized by the “absence of an alarm system in both dams and neglect of cleaning operations for upper openings, as well as routine maintenance.”
According to the results published on Friday, the total number of recorded deaths due to the floods in Derna has reached 4,540 people, including 3,964 Libyans and 576 foreigners.
The investigations confirmed that the drainage system in the valley was not functioning as designed, due to mud accumulation without any maintenance, in addition to detecting cracks in the two dams.
Regarding legal measures, 14 individuals have been detained for investigation. This includes the city’s mayor, and several officials from the water resources and dam authority.
The Attorney General also issued a red bulletin for fugitive suspects outside the borders, according to the results.
Al-Sour said that “all those responsible for the dams since 2003 bear responsibility for the disaster that occurred in Derna.”
On Wednesday, Al-Sour stated that the dam collapse could have been avoided. In a press conference on the Prosecution’s efforts in 2023, Al-Sour clarified that a Swiss consulting office recommended modifications and maintenance to the dams in 2003.
He added that Derna Court decided to reserve the lawsuit, and the decision will be issued on 11 January.
“As the dam collapse is a public opinion case, we discovered after reviewing and investigating that the Swiss company advised making modifications to the dams 20 years ago, but it was not implemented, meaning that the disaster could have been avoided,” the Attorney General said.
The collapse of the dams caused massive amounts of water to flow through the valley, completely destroying the center of Derna, and wiping out residential neighbourhoods and buildings.
On 10 September, a devastating storm swept through several eastern regions of Libya, notably the cities of Derna, Benghazi, Al-Bayda, Al-Marj, and Sousse. This resulted in significant destruction, and led to the loss of thousands of lives, injuries, and missing individuals.