In the wake of a flash flood reminiscent of a tsunami, emergency teams in Derna, Libya, are in a race against time to locate the thousands of individuals still unaccounted for after the disaster, which claimed the lives of at least 11,300 people.

This deluge, triggered by a surge of water from two upstream dams, has turned Derna into a nightmarish wasteland, where entire city blocks have been obliterated, and an unknown number of individuals have been swept into the Mediterranean.

The central neighborhoods on both sides of the river, which are typically dry during this season, now bear the marks of this natural catastrophe, resembling the path of destruction left by a colossal steamroller. Trees, buildings, and vehicles have been uprooted, with some resting on the port’s breakwaters.

Survivors vividly recall the horror of the sudden rise in water levels, with one man recounting the terrifying experience of being carried away with his mother. “The water was steadily rising with us until we reached the fourth floor; it had already submerged the second floor,” he recounted.