Head of the Authority for Search and Identification of Missing Persons, Kamal Al-Siwi, has cautioned that their operations may be jeopardized if they do not receive adequate funding to respond in the flood-affected regions.
In a press statement, Al-Siwi noted that despite the lack of financial resources, their teams are still providing services in Derna, which was severely impacted by the floods.
However, the Authority is now facing difficulties financing DNA tests as they have accumulated debts from their search operations in the eastern region. "If this continues for another week, the Authority's work may come to a halt," Al-Siwi said.
Since the devastating floods that hit eastern Libya last September, response teams have been working to recover the bodies from the rubble and conduct DNA tests for the victims.
The floods, triggered by Storm Daniel, swept entire neighbourhoods and killed over 10,000 people, mostly from Derna, after a collapse in two major dams intensified the consequences of the disaster.