The task to find survivors in Libya's Derna a week after Storm Daniel caused havoc in the port city has now turned to retrieving bodies.
“Our mission today is not to look for survivors. They’re all at the mercy of Allah now," a commander of the Dubai Police naval search-and-rescue personnel told his team of divers from Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
"Your mission is to help our Libyan brothers to recover the bodies that were pulled into the sea last week, when the sea pushed into the city and then washed ashore. Many of the bodies you’ll see will also be stuck inside cars that were pulled into the sea."
Fears are growing of a cholera outbreak in Derna and the pressing challenge is to recover bodies of the thousands who died and are being washed up from the sea or are decaying under rubble.
“We’re now just days away from an epidemic,” a medical source from the Libyan Red Crescent told The National.
"There’s no doubt that cholera will be the biggest challenge in the weeks to come. International efforts will be focused on getting the right medicine flown into Derna."
The lack of awareness of the dangers posed by potential waterborne diseases is evident on the ground. One resident who was helping with rescue operations at a building that collapsed on the edge of the Derna valley approached the shore and started washing his hands and face in the water.
A Libyan Red Crescent worker tried to stop him but it was too late.
“The best we could do for him is to sanitise his hands with alcohol and hope for the best. But he probably has caught something and will likely infect people he comes close to,” the NGO worker said.
Along the coastline of the port city, the Emirati diving missions are joined by others from France, Italy and Russia, the rocky shoreline near the main section of the bridge of the Derna valley making the task more difficult.
Many Derna residents were in their cars on that bridge when it collapsed as they attempted to evacuate during the storm last Monday.
The UAE commander said it was vital "not to try to recover bodies from cars".
"Anything that makes your mission difficult and even more dangerous should be avoided at all costs," he added.
"Risk of disease is very high so please be careful about your own safety.
"I’ve never seen anything like this before. We’re thankfully trained for missions like this but we have to be practical and make sure we’re as safe as possible. I don’t think this type of disaster has ever befallen on our region."
The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs estimated at least 11,300 people have died so far in the floods and more than 10,000 were missing in Derna.
"On orders of our wise leadership in the UAE, we’re here to help our brothers wherever they need it in the region,” one of the divers told The National on Monday.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
