Libyan authorities have said that 3,297 people were reported missing in the massive floods that hit the city of Derna nearly two years ago, in the first official census since the catastrophe.
The figure was announced on Wednesday during a press conference by the head of the General Authority for Search and Identification of Missing Persons, Kamal al-Siwi, in the capital Tripoli.
The authority is run by Libya’s internationally recognised government, but eastern Libya, where Derna is located, is controlled by forces loyal to warlord Khalifa Haftar.
"We have recorded 3,297 missing victims of Storm Daniel, which struck the city of Derna," said al-Siwi. He noted that DNA testing was carried out on thousands of reference samples from victims’ families to help identify the missing.
The authority collected "3,078 reference genetic blood samples and referred them to the Laboratory Department, which in turn completed the full analysis of these samples, finalised the genetic database for the victims, and began analysing bone samples from unidentified bodies".
Storm Daniel swept across several areas in eastern Libya and other Mediterranean regions in 2023.
On the night of 10-11 September, the cyclone caused two dams near Derna to collapse, resulting in apocalyptic floods which wiped out large swathes of the city and killed thousands of people.
The Derna and Abu Mansour dams released an estimated 30 million cubic meters of water, causing flooding downstream as the Wadi Derna (Derna Valley) overflowed its banks.
While around 5,000 people have been confirmed dead, estimates have put the toll above 20,000, with no final count as of today.
As well as extreme weather conditions, the authorities in control of the area were accused of corruption and negligence because of the dam failures.
Twelve officials were sentenced to prison in July last year by a criminal court in Derna, with sentences ranging from nine to 27 years, although many locals and people across Libya felt this was inadequate.
Libya has been divided and riven by conflict since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi. In 2014, Haftar launched 'Operation Dignity' against rival militias in eastern Libya, and reconciliation attempts have failed.