Around 10,000 people are missing after catastrophic flooding in Libya, an official from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Tuesday, as quoted by Reuters and News.ro.

Floods in LibyaPhoto: Government of Libya in the East / Xinhua Newa / Profimedia Images

“From our independent information sources, we can confirm that the number of missing persons reaches 10,000,” said Tamer Ramadan, head of the IFRC delegation in Libya.

“The number of dead is huge and may reach thousands,” the official said.

Almost a quarter of the eastern Libyan city of Derna was destroyed by floods after dams burst as a result of Cyclone Daniel in the Mediterranean Sea, which also hit Greece, causing devastating floods in Thessaly and other parts of the country.

More than 1,000 bodies have been found so far, the minister from the Libyan administration, which controls the east of the country, said on Tuesday.

The IFRC may soon announce emergency funding to support flood victims in Libya.

“The challenges range from access to basic health facilities to health services, shelters and shelter management, to food and non-food items,” Ramadan said.