Libyan city buries thousands in mass graves after flood

DERNA, Sept 14 (AP): The city of Derna has buried thousands of people in mass graves, Libyan officials said Thursday, as search teams scoured ruins left by devastating floods and the city's mayor said that the death toll could triple or more.
The deluge swept away entire families on Sunday night and exposed vulnerabilities in the oil-rich country that has been mired in conflict since its 2011 uprising. Health officials have confirmed 5,100 deaths and say 9,000 people are still missing.
Daniel, an unusually strong Mediterranean storm, caused deadly flooding in towns across eastern Libya, but the worst-hit was Derna. As the storm pounded the coast Sunday night, residents said they heard loud explosions when the dams outside the city collapsed. Floodwaters washed down Wadi Derna, a valley that cuts through the city, crashing through buildings and washing people out to sea.
The startling devastation reflected the storm's intensity, but also Libya's vulnerability. The country is divided by rival governments - one in the east, the other in the west - and one result has been widespread neglect of infrastructure. The dams that collapsed outside Derna were built in the 1970s and have not been maintained for years, local media reported.
Derna has begun burying its dead, mostly in mass graves, said eastern Libya's health minister, Othman Abduljaleel.
More than 3,000 bodies were buried by Thursday morning, the minister said, while another 2,000 were still being processed.