Libya floods: UN withdraws 11,300 Derna death toll, Red Crescent denies giving figures

The United Nations has withdrawn a death toll it gave on Saturday on the number of victims of the catastrophic flooding in the Libyan port city of Derna.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had said in a situation report, also referred to as a sitrep, that some 11,300 people were dead in Derna, citing the Libyan Red Crescent.

The number has since been widely reported by international media outlets. The New Arab can neither confirm nor invalidate its accuracy as a representation of the true death toll.

Approached by this news outlet on Sunday, Jens Laerke, an OCHA spokesperson, said the inclusion of the figure was an "unfortunate mistake".

"We are replacing the sitrep online," he added.

Libyan Red Crescent spokesperson Tawfiq Shoukri told The New Arab's Arabic sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that his organisation has not given any specific figures relating to the number of casualties.

He said this matter is reserved for the authorities authorised.