The death toll from devastating floods that struck eastern Libya could reach 20,000 in Derna alone, the mayor said.

“We expect a very big number of victims. It can reach 18,000 to 20,000 deaths based on the destroyed districts in Derna,” Mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi said.

Mr Al-Ghaithi said the city was suffering a humanitarian disaster due to the massive floods that followed a heavy storm in eastern Libya on Sunday.

Two dams in the mountains above Derna collapsed.

While rescue workers and relatives continue to search for survivors, about 10,000 people were reported missing, according to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The flooding in eastern Libya has also left more than 30,000 people homeless, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration, particularly in Derna.

Two rival governments are vying for power in oil-rich Libya, plagued by unrest in recent years.

One is based in the east, and the other in the capital, Tripoli, in the west.

Diplomatic efforts to peacefully resolve the ongoing civil war have failed.

(dpa/NAN)