5000 known to have died ...10,000 people missing ...40,000 are displaced

Entire families washed away as Libyan flood death toll mounts

- CHRIS HUGHES

MORE than 5000 people are now known to have been killed by the 23ft wall of water which swept through the Libyan city of Derna.

The toll is likely to rise further as more than 10,000 people are still believed to be missing from the coastal city.

As many as 40,000 have lost their homes after the wave hit on Sunday, wrecking buildings and washing countless bodies into the Mediterranean.

It was sparked by Storm Daniel, which lashed the area with unprecedented rainfall that caused the collapse of two nearby dams and unleashed the torrent.

Yesterday, the UK Government announced support "worth up to £1million".

The Foreign Office said it is working with organisations on the ground to identify the most urgent needs, including shelter, healthcare and sanitation.

Aid worker Emad al-Falah, from Benghazi, said: "Wherever you go, you find dead men, women and children.