A city washed away: Harrowing scenes of the devastation in Derna

Images from the Libyan coastal city of Derna after a powerful storm burst dams on September 10, washing multi-storey buildings into the sea with sleeping families inside, leaving thousands dead.

An aerial view of destroyed houses after a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 16, 2023. The death toll from the catastrophic flooding in Libya's eastern city of Derna has climbed to 11,300, the United Nations said in an update on Saturday.

A person leans against a cement pole with Arabic graffiti that reads "Derna is gone" during a search mission lead by volunteers in Derna. Another 10,100 people are still missing in the devastated city, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. Elsewhere in eastern Libya outside Derna, the flooding took an additional 170 lives, the update said.

This handout picture provided by the UAE Ministry of Defence on September 16, 2023, shows members of the Emirati Rescue Team assisting in relief work in Libya's eastern city of Derna following deadly flash floods. Aid is now arriving in the North African country as the world mobilises to help emergency services cope with the aftermath of the deadly flood.

A person sits on rubble caused by floods in Derna on September 16, 2023. Around 9,000 people are still missing after what the WHO's Libya representative Ahmed Zouiten called "a disaster of epic proportions".

Members of the Emirati Rescue Team assist in relief work in Derna on September 16, 2023 in the aftermath of flash flooding. A rescue crew from Malta's Civil Protection Department discovered a beach strewn with dead bodies on Friday, the Times of Malta newspaper reported.

People deliver donated clothes to a flash flood-destroyed city of Derna on September 16, 2023. International aid is arriving from the United Nations, Europe and Middle East, offering some relief to the thousands of survivors. The aid includes essential medicines and emergency surgical supplies, as well as body bags to allow corpses to be moved.

A helicopter flies overhead as a man walks in front of a mosque that remained standing during the floods that submerged Libya's eastern city of Derna. The scale of the devastation has prompted shows of solidarity, as volunteers in Tripoli gathered aid for the flood victims.

Hassan Al Elwani of Tripoli embraces Abdelaziz Al She'ri of Derna, following floods in Derna, Libya, September 16, 2023. Survivors in Derna are glad to be alive, even as they mourn the loss of loved ones.

Volunteer Hossam Almegassabe reacts after retreiving a dead body that was wiped in to the sea in Derna, Libya, September 16, 2023. Many bodies were believed to have been buried under rubble or swept out into the Mediterranean Sea, Libyan authorities said.

Tairek Almahgop, 44, a flood survivor shows how mudslide invaded his house during a powerful storm and heavy rainfall, in Derna, Libya September 16, 2023.

Mohammed Fathallah Al Hassi, reacts while talking about his mother and sister, that he lost during a powerful storm and heavy rainfall that hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 16, 2023.

An aerial view shows the destruction, in the aftermath of the floods in Derna, Libya September 16, 2023.