‘Are you alive?’ Libyan mother trapped in Derna cries out for sons

TRIPOLI, Libya

A wall of water from flooding caused by Mediterranean storm Daniel smashed into Libya’s eastern city of Derna, crashing through buildings and washing people into the sea.

The Sept. 11 deadly floods have killed thousands of people and left massive destruction to roads and infrastructure in the city.

According to the UN Humanitarian Office (OCHA), at least 11,300 people have been killed and thousands more are still missing following the disaster.

More than 40,000 people have been displaced across Libya’s northeastern areas by the deadly floods, the UN office said.

Derna was the hardest-hit by the killer flooding after the city’s dams burst, washing away homes and people.

Rescue efforts are in full swing in the coastal city to search for survivors amid massive destruction in the city.

A video shared by activists showed a young Libyan searching for his mother under the debris of their destroyed house.

“Mom, are you alive,” the terrified son cries for his mother.

“Are you alive sons,” the mother replies moments later from under the rubble.

The video was shared extensively by flood-stricken Libyans amid hopes of finding their beloved ones following one of the worst flood disasters in Libya’s modern history.

“Such video clips instill a spirit of optimism among rescue teams searching for survivors,” Mussa Tehusai, a Libyan journalist, told Anadolu.

“I salute all teams, especially the Turkish rescue teams, which have made great efforts in saving the lives of many Libyans in this great ordeal,” he said.

Derna is bisected by the Wadi Derna, a seasonal river that flows from highlands to the south, and normally protected from flooding by dams.

The massive floods have caused the city’s two dams to collapse, dragging large parts of Derna into the sea.

The Sept. 11 floods were one of the worst flood disasters in Libya’s modern history.

“I could not hold my tears as I watched the video of the mom checking on her sons from under the debris,” Abu Hafs al-Libi, a Libyan resident, said on his Facebook page.

“Moms are always selfless, tending to the needs of their children before themselves,” he added.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi