Libyan officials jailed over deadly floods
Twelve Libyan officials have been sentenced to prison terms ranging from nine to 27 years for their involvement in the catastrophic dam collapses that resulted in over 4,000 deaths last September.
The collapse devastated entire neighborhoods in Derna, and the evacuation efforts were poorly managed. The convicted officials, responsible for overseeing water resources and maintaining the dams, faced charges including negligence, premeditated murder, and misuse of public funds, according to Reuters.
Three of the defendants were also ordered to return money acquired through illicit means, while four others were acquitted. An international report in January attributed the dam failures to inadequate maintenance and governance amid Libya’s prolonged conflict.
Following the disaster, enraged residents torched the mayor’s home and demanded accountability, leading to the dismissal of the entire city council.
In the aftermath, residents reported to BBC Arabic that evacuation orders were poorly directed, insufficient shelter arrangements were made, and conflicting stay-at-home orders and curfews caused confusion. Additionally, some evacuees moved from the seafront to more hazardous areas that subsequently flooded.
The water was brought by Storm Daniel, resulting in more than 400mm of rain to parts of Libya’s north-east coast within a 24-hour period.
That is an extraordinary deluge of water for a region which usually sees about 1.5mm throughout the whole of September, as BBC Verify reported at the time.
Libya’s National Meteorological Centre said the rainfall set a new record.
Since the ousting of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been divided by power struggles and currently has two governments – a UN-recognised one based in Tripoli, and another in the country’s east backed by warlord Gen Khalifa Haftar.
