IN PHOTOS | Devastating flood wipes out half of Eastern Libya's port city Derna

Entire residential areas were erased along a river that runs down from the mountains through the city centre of Derna.

Entire residential areas were erased along a river that runs down from the mountains through the city centre of Derna. The deluge swept away entire families on September 10 night and exposed vulnerabilities in the oil-rich country that has been mired in c 

Daniel, an unusually strong Mediterranean storm, caused deadly flooding in towns across eastern Libya, but the worst hit was Derna. As the storm pounded the coast Sunday night, residents said they heard loud explosions when the dams outside the city collapsed. (Photo | AP)

Floodwaters washed down Wadi Derna, a valley that cuts through the city, crashing through buildings and washing people out to sea. (Photo | AP)

A general view of the flooded city of Derna. The startling devastation has underscored Libya’s vulnerability. The oil-rich country has been divided between rival administrations, each backed by competing armed militias, for almost a decade. It has been rocked by conflict since a NATO-backed Arab Spring uprising toppled autocratic ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. (Photo | AP)

Both governments and their various international patrons have banded together to help those affected. But progress has been slow. Key bridges, roads and other infrastructure are gone. Derna, which had a population of 90,000, largely was cut off from the world before the first aid convoys arrived late Tuesday. (Photo | AP)

Derna has begun burying its dead, mostly in mass graves, said eastern Libya’s health minister, Othman Abduljaleel. More than 3,000 bodies were buried by Thursday morning, the minister said, while another 2,000 were still being processed. He said most of the dead were buried in mass graves outside Derna, while others were transferred to nearby towns and cities. (Photo | AP)

People look for survivors in Derna, Libya. Search teams are combing streets, wrecked buildings, and even the sea to look for bodies in Derna. (Photo | AP)