Reports from Libya say more than 5,000 people have died and several thousand are missing in floods that have devastated the eastern part of the country.

Heavy rains triggered the floods on Monday. Homes were swept away in the eastern city of Derna and elsewhere.

Libya is currently divided, with its east and west controlled by different political forces.

Local media have quoted a senior official of the eastern group as saying more than 5,000 have died in Derna alone.

Two dams upstream from Derna are said to have collapsed due to the downpours, inundating the city and surrounding areas.

The local official for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Tuesday that nearly 10,000 people are missing in four eastern cities.

Libya's infrastructure has been neglected due to prolonged political turmoil.

Roads and communication lines to affected areas have been cut off, hampering rescue efforts and raising fears the death toll could surge.

Satellite images of Derna show that the river that runs through it is now wider and brown with silt. Some buildings that were near its mouth before the flooding have disappeared.

An image of a dam upstream shows that the middle part appears to have collapsed.
Areas downstream from the dam that were green before the floods are now also brown.