25 September 2023; MEMO: Libya’s Prosecutor-General, on Monday, ordered the arrest of eight officials as part of his inquiry into the recent flood disaster which killed thousands, his office said.
The flash flood, which witnesses likened to a tsunami, broke through two ageing dams on 10 September, after a hurricane-strength storm lashed the area around Derna, a port city in Libya‘s east.
According to the report, the officials are suspected of “bad management” and negligence, a statement from the Prosecutor-General’s office said.
On Saturday, the official death toll passed 3,800, and international aid groups have said 10,000 or more people may be missing.
Derna Mayor, Abdel-Moneim Al-Ghaithi, who was sacked after the disaster, was also questioned, the statement said.