At this stage, emergency services have “located and recorded 211 dead”, continued the socialist leader, specifying that operations were continuing to find the missing people, the number of which is unknown at this stage. The latest report from the authorities, given Friday evening, showed at least 207 victims, including 204 in the Valencia region, the most affected by these spectacular bad weather. Two other people died in Castile-la-Mancha and a third in Andalusia.
Questioned by the Antena 3 television channel, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska indicated that it was “unwise to give a figure”. But “it is likely (…) that there will be more deaths,” he said.
Rescuers expect to find additional victims, particularly in the carcasses of cars overturned by the torrents of mud, which still litter the parking lots and streets of the most affected localities.
“Serious problems and deficiencies”
To deal with this situation, Pedro Sánchez announced the sending “in the coming hours” of 5,000 additional soldiers, as requested by the regional government of Valencia. This figure brings the total number of soldiers deployed on the ground to 7,000.
Nearly 5,000 additional police officers and gendarmes will also be sent to the field in the coming hours, which will double the number of law enforcement agents on the ground. “I am aware that the response given is not sufficient, I know that there are serious problems and shortcomings,” declared the Prime Minister, while criticism against the lack of responsiveness of the authorities do not fall back.
The regional government of Valencia is notably accused of having sent a telephone alert message to residents very late on Tuesday, while the Spanish meteorological agency (Aemet) had placed the Valencia region on “red alert” from the morning. Today, the priority remains the search for the missing and the reopening of the roads to allow the “delivery” of aid and the reestablishment of “essential services”, by clearing vehicles and rubble which prevent circulation, assured Mr. Sánchez.
In total, more than 2,000 damaged cars and trucks were removed, as well as hundreds of tons of mud and debris, according to the head of government, who also promised to restore order in the affected areas.
Outpourings of solidarity
Since the floods, which occurred during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the authorities have noted acts of looting and theft. The police have already made “82 arrests,” he said. In an interview with the daily El Pais, Transport Minister Oscar Puente acknowledged that many localities had “serious communication difficulties because the network is practically destroyed.” “The scale of this disaster is unprecedented in the history of our country,” he insisted.
In this dismal panorama, the outpourings of solidarity continued, notably in Valencia, where thousands of people gathered at dawn for the second day in a row to go on foot to neighboring towns, equipped with shovels and brooms. , according to an AFP journalist.
“The aid is insufficient. Fortunately, Spain knows how to show solidarity,” Alicia Izquierdo told AFP, who came on Friday to bring two carts full of food with her sister Marta to their brother’s house in Paiporta, a town of more than 25,000 inhabitants where at least 62 deaths have been recorded.
On Friday, the number of volunteers was such that the authorities called on residents traveling by car to the affected communities to stay at home so as not to clog the roads and prevent the passage of help.
In the suburbs of Valencia, the work of rescuers and soldiers should take place under mild skies on Saturday. But the National Meteorological Agency warned that heavy rainfall would still occur in the province of Castellon, in the north of the Valencia region, placed on orange alert.
