Libya’s eastern government holds conference on reconstruction of coastal city destroyed by floods

By JACK JEFFERY
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Libyan authorities say an international conference seeking to reconstruct one of Libya’s coastal city’s, decimated in a fatal flood in early September, has begun. The two-day conference marks a tentative step toward the rebuilding of the city of Derna, with at total of 400 participants convening there Wednesday and in Benghazi on Thursday. The government said most of the attendees were representatives from international delegations or companies. In early September, two dilapidated dams in the mountains above Derna collapsed, sending floodwaters roaring down the Wadi Derna river and through the city center, sweeping away entire city blocks. Estimated death tolls range from more than 4,000 to over 11,000.