The coastal city of Derna, which has been badly hit by floods, needs more specialists and technical equipment to carry out rescue operations, said Salem Hasan Muhammad, the head of the ambulance and emergency services department in the Libyan government formed by the parliament, in an interview with Sputnik.
"The death toll from the storm is increasing every hour. Rescue teams from the country's armed forces, in coordination with Arab and foreign rescue groups, are currently removing the bodies of the dead from the rubble and the sea," he said.
According to the official, search operations have located surviving family members. For example, three people were recently taken to a field hospital set up in Derna, and their condition is considered satisfactory, he added.
He emphasized that the Libyan authorities and army managed to take control of the situation in Derna.
"Nevertheless, we need specialized rescue teams and additional technical resources to make the searches more successful, as a significant number of the victims have ended up at sea," he elaborated.
As of Thursday, the death toll from the floods exceeded 11,000, with some 20,000 people still unaccounted for, local media reported, citing the Libyan Red Crescent. On Wednesday, the mayor of Derna, Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi, said the death toll from flooding in the city could reach 18,000 to 20,000.
Earlier this week, Russian Ambassador to Libya Aydar Aganin told Sputnik about Moscow's plans to send several planes carrying humanitarian aid and emergency personnel to Libya's northeastern regions. The aid will include rescuers and medical personnel, as well as material, including equipment, blankets, tents and other necessities.
On Saturday, the first 50 specialists of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations arrived in Libya to conduct search and rescue operations, the ministry told Sputnik.