UN warns of concerning situation at two more Libyan dams

Following the devastating floods earlier this month in Libya, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has said it was concerned about two more dams which were reportedly dealing with massive amounts of pressure.

The dams in question are the Jaza Dam - between the partly destroyed city of Darna and Benghazi - and the Qattara Dam near Benghazi, the OCHA said.

However there have been "contradictory reports" over the dams' stability, OCHA said. Both dams were in good condition and functioning, according to authorities. Pumps were being installed at the Jaza dam to relieve pressure on the dam, OCHA cited authorities as saying.

Derna was badly hit after the severe storm last weekend, mainly due to the breach of two dams. The storm killed thousands of people and thousands more are still missing. The authorities do not yet have exact figures.

According to estimates by the UN Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 40,000 people have lost their homes as a result of the disaster in north-eastern Libya. The number is probably much higher.

In many of the hard-hit areas, no counts have been possible, yet. The World Food Programme (WFP) is preparing food supplies to support 100,000 people in the disaster area for at least three months.