Rescuers try to find survivors in Libya after the serious floods that left tens of thousands of dead, but it is also key to recover the bodies that are under the mud. It is necessary to protect the living from diseases transmitted by contaminated water, so that this situation does not lead to an epidemic.

The authorities have already launched a vaccination campaign for some 20,000 minors to prevent the spread of hepatitis, cholera or malaria.

And while the death toll continues to grow – the official figure is now 11,3000 human lives – it is becoming increasingly clear that the disaster could have been avoided.

HE I knew that Cyclone Daniel was comingthe Derna dams were known to need urgent maintenance, thousands of lives could have been saved.

First, correcting precisely the known deficiencies of the dams, which the survivors denounce should have been repaired years ago. But no one did and they broke, and more than 33 million liters of water buried a quarter of the city.

There have already been warnings about the need to review the dams. Premonitory was the warning, a year ago, from researchers from the local university who urgently requested that the status of the two dams be reviewed due to high risk of flooding. The authorities did nothing.

Also the evacuation of nearby neighborhoods It would have been another option to avoid a tragedy of this magnitude. One day before the arrival of the cyclone, the City Council asked to evacuate the areas near the reservoirs, and the only response from the Government’s emergency committee was to order a curfew “to protect their lives and property.”

The Prosecutor’s Office is going to open an investigation to determine the causes of the collapse and identify those possibly responsible.