Journalists were instructed to depart from the devastated eastern Libyan city of Derna, a day after protesters set fire to the home of the ousted mayor due to frustrations over the government’s failure to protect the city from floods.
However, officials from the eastern administration denied any forceful removal of reporters.
The authorities reportedly requested that all journalists leave, as reported by Arab broadcaster Al Hurra.
An Al Jazeera correspondent also confirmed being asked to leave the city.
Nevertheless, the Minister of Civil Aviation for the Eastern Administration stated that some journalists were relocated to facilitate rescue operations rather than as a response to protests.
Monday’s protest was the first since Derna was hit by a catastrophic flood on September 10, resulting in confirmed deaths and numerous missing persons.
Angry residents blame the government for not preventing the disaster, citing an incomplete dam repair contract from 2007.
Protesters directed their anger at eastern-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh, who labelled the flood a natural catastrophe.
Demonstrators demanded an urgent investigation into the dam’s collapse and criticised the government’s crisis management.
The death toll remains uncertain, with varying reports from officials, including the World Health Organization’s confirmation of 3,922 deaths.
The Mayor of the Eastern Libyan port city of Derna, Abdulmenam Al-Ghaithi, has estimated that between 18,000 and 20,000 people died in flooding.
