The flooding swept away entire families in Derna on Sunday night and exposed vulnerabilities in the oil-rich country that has been mired in conflict since a 2011 uprising that toppled long-ruling dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Satellite photos of the city of Derna, which is at the centre of the devastation, days prior to the devastation showed idyllic blue water lapping along the coast of the densely-populated city.