Libya: barriers being built in storm-damaged Derna

The authorities in the Libyan city of Derna have started to build protective barriers in the area most affected by Storm Daniel that struck the east of the country earlier this month, the official LANA agency has reported.

Unnamed sources were cited as saying that the construction of the barriers aims to “facilitate the work of the search and rescue teams and protect citizens from potential diseases or viruses.”

A source from the Libyan Red Crescent told Anadolu that the emergency and response committee, which is affiliated with the parliament-appointed government in Eastern Libya, has cooperated with the security forces to set up several barriers within Derna.

The source, who requested anonymity, added that the barrier will also prevent citizens from entering neighbourhoods where there are still unrecovered decomposing bodies and the threat of disease is high. Earlier this week, the UN warned of this threat, not least from contaminated water and the lack of sanitation.

OPINION: Western media is one-eyed when it comes to the Derna tragedy