agencies
Benghazi
Libya’s public prosecutor charged 16 civic and infrastructure officials on Monday following an investigation into the collapse of two dams which caused devastating floods in the east of the country.
A powerful storm hit the North African country earlier this month and two dams broke in the mountains above the port of Derna, washing away large areas of the city of around 100,000 people.
The two dams outside the city of Derna broke up on Sep. 11 after they were overwhelmed by Storm Daniel, which caused heavy rain across eastern Libya. The failure of the structures inundated as much as a quarter of the city, officials have said, destroying entire neighborhoods and sweeping people out to sea.
Ten days ago, Public Prosecutor Al-Siddiq Al-Sour said an investigation had been opened to look into the causes of the collapse, promising to bring those responsible to justice.
Eight of the accused will be detained pending investigation, including the now-suspended mayor of Derna, who faces charges of abuse of power and mismanaging funds allocated for the reconstruction and development of the city.
Other officials at the water and dam authorities face charges of mishandling administrative and financial tasks and negligence in not taking precautions against disasters.
A statement by the office of General Prosecutor al-Sidiq al-Sour said prosecutors on Sunday questioned seven former and current officials with the Water Resources Authority and the Dams Management Authority over allegations that mismanagement, negligence and mistakes contributed to the disaster.
Derna Mayor Abdel-Moneim al-Ghaithi, who was sacked after the disaster, was also questioned, the statement said.
The eight former and current officials didn’t provide evidence to spare them from potential charges, and prosecutors ordered them jailed pending the completion of the investigation, the statement added.
The chief prosecutor said eight other officials would be summoned for questioning.
Since the disaster struck on September 10, conflicting figures have emerged from the politically divided nation about the death toll from the floods.
The eastern government’s emergency committee said on Sunday that 3,868 people have been killed.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 4,014 people have been reported killed and over 8,500 remain missing. Two rival governments are vying for power in the oil-rich country, which has been plagued by chaos since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Gaddafi in 2011. One is based in the east and the other in the capital Tripoli.
The questioning and jailing of officials were a first crucial step by the chief prosecutor in his investigation, which is likely to face daunting challenges due to Libya’s years of divided leadership.
Mounting calls for an international investigation into the disaster reflects the deep public mistrust in state institutions.