Libya says Derna mayor, other officials detained as part of investigation into deadly dam collapse

TRIPOLI (AP): Libya’s Public Prosecution on Monday ordered the arrest of several officials in relation to the flash flood that devastated the Libyan port city of Derna two weeks ago – killing thousands.

In a statement the Public Prosecutor’s Office said it was decided to detain 16 officials responsible for managing the country’s dam facilities, 6 officials from the Water Resources Authority, and the Derna mayor “for deviating from the obligations of the mandate of managing funds allocated for the reconstruction and development of the city.”

The official death toll keeps rising, passing 3,800 on Saturday from a flash flood that broke through two ageing dams upstream from Derna.

A wall of water swept through the area on Sept. 10, washing thousands of people into the sea.

According to the statement, investigators finished conducting the initial interrogations and recommended detaining the responsible in pre-trial detention.

They went on to request the necessary investigation into the rest of those responsible for the Derna flood incident.