A rescue team from Malta on Friday discovered hundreds of deceased individuals on a beach in the flood-affected Libyan city of Derna, as reported by the Malta Civil Protection Department on Saturday.
“There were probably about 400, but it is difficult to say,” Natalino Bezzina, who is leading the Maltese team, told the Times of Malta newspaper.
On Wednesday, Malta dispatched a team of 72 rescuers comprising members from the military and the civil protection department.
The discovery was made by a team of four individuals, who initially located a group of seven bodies, including three children, inside a cave near the seashore.
It is believed that the bodies were carried out to sea due to severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall from Storm Daniel, which led to the collapse of two dams, resulting in the inundation of a quarter of the coastal city.
Bezzina informed Maltese media that a small team from the CPD came across the partially submerged cave and discovered bodies inside.
As their search efforts continued, they were joined by Libyan dinghies also involved in the search for casualties and survivors. It was during this joint effort that they stumbled upon a small bay filled with debris and several hundred deceased individuals.