On Friday, a Maltese rescue team made a grim discovery, finding hundreds of deceased individuals on a beach in the flood-stricken Libyan city of Derna, as reported by the Malta Civil Protection Department on Saturday.
Natalino Bezzina, leading the Maltese team, estimated the count to be around 400, though the exact number was challenging to ascertain.
Malta had deployed a group of 72 rescuers, consisting of military and civil protection personnel, on Wednesday. The initial discovery was made by a four-person team, which initially located seven bodies, including three children, inside a cave near the sea.
It is believed that these bodies were carried out to sea by severe flooding resulting from the collapse of two dams, which swept away a significant portion of the coastal city.
As the search continued, the Maltese team was joined by Libyan dinghies engaged in a similar search for casualties and survivors. Together, they encountered a small bay filled with debris and the remains of several hundred individuals.