Libya's attorney general, Siddiq Sur, said an investigation had begun into the cause of the collapse of two dams in the eastern city of Derna, in flooding. Sur said cracks appeared in both dams more than two decades ago.
Some analysts say the investigation could involve top officials from Libya's eastern and western regimes.
The mayor is under investigation
Sur said at a press conference held in Derna on the evening of the 15th that the prosecutor launched an investigation into the dam collapse, and the investigators came from different parts of Libya and involved matters such as the flow of funds for dam repair.
"No matter who committed a mistake or neglected their duties, the prosecutor will take strong measures to launch a criminal investigation and transfer him to trial," Sur promised the public. ”
△The city of Derna, damaged by flooding
A Libyan television station quoted the news released by the Delna municipal government on the 14th that the mayor of Drna, Abdel-Moonem Qaisi, was suspended and is under investigation.
The two dams that collapsed, Abu Mansour Dam and Bilad Dam, were built in the 70s of the 20th century, 13 km and 1 km from Derna, respectively, with a storage capacity of 22.5 million cubic meters and 1.5 million cubic meters, respectively.
Hurricane Daniel made landfall on the Mediterranean coast of eastern Libya on the 10th and caused flooding. The two dams collapsed overnight, killing heavy casualties and washing away many of those killed in their sleep. The latest figures from the Libyan Red Crescent Society show that the floods have so far killed 11,300 people and left more than 10,000 missing in Derna.
According to the Associated Press, in order to prevent flooding, local officials ordered people to evacuate the coastal area on the 9th, but did not warn people that the dam may collapse.
The dam has long had cracks
△Rescuers are conducting search and rescue work on the waterfront of the city of Derna
Sur said dam operators reported cracks in both dams as early as 1998. Two years later, the Libyan government hired an Italian engineering firm to assess the damage to the dam. The latter confirmed cracks in the dam and proposed the construction of a third dam.
Muammar Gaddafi's government handed over the dam repair to Turkey's Arcel Construction Company in 2007. Due to payment problems, the work did not start until October 2010, but was suspended less than five months later when the Qaddafi regime was overthrown.
An official, who asked not to be named, told AFP that the government had since earmarked funds for dam repairs every year, but officials "only took money and did not do anything".
A 2021 report by Libya's audit department found "delays" in dam repairs, with the government allocating more than US$2 million in 2012 and 2013 for the work, but not construction.
In 2022, Libyan hydrologist Badell Vanis Ashur warned in a study that if the dam is not repaired, Derna will suffer disaster. This warning was not heeded by the Libyan authorities at the time.
Civil unrest creates hidden dangers
△The city of Derna, damaged by flooding
Jallel Arshawi, a Libya expert at the Royal Joint Military Defence and Security Institute, said the investigation would pose a "challenge" to the Libyan justice system because it could involve top officials from both the eastern and western regimes.
In 2011, the United States and other Western countries intervened in Libya to support the opposition to overthrow Muammar Qaddafi's regime. Since then, Libya has been politically turbulent and mired in long-term civil strife. The UN-recognized Libyan National Unity Government and the forces supporting it control parts of the west, while the Libyan National Congress, allied with the National Army, controls mainly the eastern and central regions.
After the collapse of the country, the lack of a unified central government led to problems in the country's infrastructure development and disaster prevention capabilities. Wolfram Rahel, an expert on Libya at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, pointed out that behind the floods in Derna, problems such as the failure of relevant departments and corruption are slowly emerging.