The Mediterranean coastal city of Derna, in northeastern Libya, was largely destroyed in sudden floods that began in the early hours of Sept. 11. As Storm Daniel pounded the area with torrential rains, dams above the Wadi Derna river valley collapsed, sweeping away entire neighborhoods and the families who lived in them.
The floods have left thousands dead, missing and displaced. On Thursday, the U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF, said 16,000 children are among the displaced and warned that many more lack access to basic services such as health and schooling.
Here are some recent scenes, as international and local search and rescue teams and survivors continued the work of recovery.
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![Field Medicine and Support Center workers handle a vehicle recovered from the sea after it was swept away during floods in Derna, Sept. 20.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d53a445/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5500x3666+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2023%2F09%2F26%2F2023-09-20t170524z_354605057_rc2dc3as6u6m_rtrmadp_3_libya-storm-derna_slide-2be090b35658619e046517852efe879f08b3149d.jpg)
![A person removes mud from a house after floods in Derna, Sept. 19.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7150d1e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4896x3264+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2023%2F09%2F26%2F2023-09-19t163829z_549108604_rc2mb3a7x8w8_rtrmadp_3_libya-storm-derna_slide-d692ce7ac5d4ff5d38adecf8fca481e67402e0b8.jpg)
![Workers move piles of mud and dirt outside a Derna mosque following fatal floods, Sept. 18.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5d07349/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4896x3264+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2023%2F09%2F26%2F2023-09-18t130504z_1703035201_rc2za3a260xx_rtrmadp_3_libya-storm-derna_slide-2f860aed854fcacf2579211e3bf01a61e3e8d6b5.jpg)
![An Italian search and rescue team drops a boat during a search mission in Derna following fatal floods, Sept. 17.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a5acfe7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5423x3615+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2023%2F09%2F26%2F2023-09-17t195625z_1085999235_rc2aa3alpydv_rtrmadp_3_libya-storm-derna_slide-e41fe990eddcd98f3dcb2424d01ffd1866204ebc.jpg)
![Search and rescue personnel work in Derna, Sept. 16.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0c9d235/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5467x3639+0+0/resize/880x586!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2023%2F09%2F26%2F2023-09-16t193428z_1736102814_rc2m93akzwlv_rtrmadp_3_libya-storm-derna_slide-3bca37e40e8be25f6965e070762bb9bd122d7146.jpg)
![Volunteer Hossam Almegassabe and others carry a body recovered after being swept out to the sea during floods in Derna, Sept. 16.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5151484/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3744x2495+0+0/resize/880x586!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2023%2F09%2F26%2F2023-09-16t185910z_664868475_rc2l93az6osy_rtrmadp_3_libya-storm-derna_slide-2e415b38f69622aaa15476646ccda824be44bf0a.jpg)
![Rescue personnel work in the aftermath of deadly floods in Derna, Sept. 16.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/387f488/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x3999+0+0/resize/880x587!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.npr.org%2Fassets%2Fimg%2F2023%2F09%2F26%2F2023-09-16t195931z_1383891617_rc2l93a203ga_rtrmadp_3_libya-storm-derna_slide-7a74505c86383619176508a1d5feaaefc2ab4d94.jpg)