Derna port becomes a dumping ground for cars, debris, and bodies

For approximately ten days, the port of Derna in eastern Libya has transformed from a bustling harbor for ships, goods, and passengers to a dumping ground for bodies, cars, and debris following devastating floods that swept entire neighborhoods from the city into the sea.

Over the past few days, the port has been devoid of workers, fishermen, and passersby, and only local and international search and rescue teams are active on-site to assist in recovering what settled at the bottom of its basin.

Among these ships is the tugboat "Eirasa." It was present in the port waters on the night of September 10 when the storm "Danielle" struck eastern Libya, causing the collapse of two dams upstream of Derna. 

This led to floods that swept away buildings, bridges, and left at least 3,351 people dead, according to the latest official temporary toll from the authorities in eastern Libya. Thousands are still missing.

The captain of the tugboat, Ali Al-Masmari (60 years old), tells Agence France-Presse that in the initial moments, he thought about getting the ship out of the port to avoid colliding with debris and to protect his crew from danger. However, he emphasized that he did not see the port wall to be able to determine the exit point due to the high sea level. He says, "All I could do was pray."

As daylight broke, the magnitude of the catastrophe became apparent. Al-Masmari lists what he saw in the port's basin: "Giant trucks, tires, people, houses, complete palm trees, firewood, bedrooms, water heaters, washing machines, refrigerators..."

While much of this debris sank into the water after hours, personal items washed up on the pier today, retrieved by divers: baby milk boxes, kitchen tools, torn juice boxes, and bottles of cooking oil.

Mohammed Shleibita, head of the crisis committee at the Ports and Maritime Transport Authority, tells Agence France-Presse that efforts are being coordinated "to search for items trapped in the port of Derna, where there are expected to be people inside their submerged vehicles."

He pointed out that "the port is divided into sectors, and each area is assigned to a specific team."

One of the sectors is managed by an Emirati team. They arrived with their equipment, including boats and jet skis, and began inspection operations through diving and sensing. Visibility is poor in the dark waters, which have turned brown due to algae, according to the divers.

Colonel Ali Abdullah Al-Naqbi, the team leader, gave instructions to his members, stressing the need to take maximum safety precautions.

Four Emirati divers wearing oxygen tanks on their backs descended from a yellow boat, with two pairs connected by a safety rope. After a short while, one of them emerged and said, "We attached (the rope) to a car; we cannot see anything. We tied it to the door or the upper eyebrow." Another diver also found another car.

After boarding the boat, their colleagues helped them remove their wetsuits and splashed drinking water on their faces.

Following the location of the two cars, a crane was brought in coordination with the Libyan authorities, and one of the cars was retrieved.



AFP