The flash flood, described by witnesses as resembling a tsunami, occurred on September 10 when two aging dams gave way following a hurricane-strength storm in the vicinity of Derna, a coastal city in Libya's eastern region.
These officials are under suspicion of "mismanagement" and negligence, as stated in a release from the prosecutor general's office. They currently or previously held positions responsible for water resources and dam management.
As of Saturday, the official death toll had exceeded 3,800, with international aid organizations suggesting that over 10,000 individuals may still be missing.
Upon launching an inquiry, Libya's prosecutor general, Al-Seddik al-Sur, disclosed more than a week ago that the two dams upstream from Derna had been compromised since 1998. However, repairs initiated by a Turkish company in 2010 were halted after a few months due to the outbreak of Libya's 2011 revolution, and the project was never resumed. The prosecutor pledged on September 16 to take decisive action against those responsible.
The 2011 NATO-backed uprising resulted in the overthrow of long-time dictator Moamer Kadhafi, ushering in more than a decade of intermittent conflict.
