Libyan Authorities Launch Inquiry Over Mysterious Ground Cracks South of Tripoli
(AWP) - The Libyan government has launched an inquiry into the appearance of mysterious 15-metre-long ground cracks that were reported by residents in a farm in Espiaa district, south of the capital Tripoli.
The Libyan Ministry of Environment said in a statement on Monday that a team of investigators has visited the area to closely examine the cracks, adding that they are preparing a report to find out their causes and the extent of their danger.
“The cracks that happened suddenly. They may have occurred during the night. The area here was exposed to this cracking and landslides. God knows what the reason is. Perhaps it is natural geological factors that the region has not experienced for years,” Omar al-Hadi al-Bouaishi, the district’s mayor, said.
“The region has suffered from drought for twenty years, and the rain was not at the required levels, causing damage to the olive trees, as you can see before you. The region has suffered from phenomena that may be the result of earthquakes or the result of geological factors since ancient times,” he added.
Local authorities said that their investigators will study the fissures in order to identify all the effected sites and collect the necessary information to understand the geological nature of the area.
AWP footage showed deep and long cracks in the farm, which raised residents’ concerns regarding their causes.