Death toll from floods in Spain rises to at least 205

Friday, November 1, 2024 at 3:05 p.m.

Madrid – The toll from the historic floods which hit the south-east of Spain this week worsened further on Friday, rising from 158 to 205 deaths, according to a new provisional report from the emergency services.

“At present, and provisionally, the number of victims is 202 people” for the Valencia region alone, indicate the emergency services of this region in a press release, by far the hardest devastated by the tragedy.

Two other deaths took place in the neighboring region of Castile-La Mancha and one in Andalusia while dozens of people are still missing.

Victim search operations are continuing to locate possible survivors while emergency services are still working to clear the disaster areas and provide assistance to people isolated in small villages.

Military reinforcements were deployed Friday morning to deal with the dramatic situation caused by these deadly floods, the worst ever recorded in several decades.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles assured Friday that the government would send as many reinforcements as needed and that they would stay as long as necessary. “We will send 120,000 army men if necessary,” she said in an interview on TVE.

The army is focusing its efforts on reopening roads in order to facilitate the delivery of aid, particularly food, and to actively participate in the search for missing people, the exact number of which remains unknown but is expected to be very high.

For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced the deployment of 500 additional members of the army this Saturday in the province of Valencia to deal with the consequences of the storm.

In a statement to the press, following a meeting at the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (CECOPI) of the Valencian Community, Mr. Marlaska highlighted the need to restrict the mobility of individuals in order not to hinder the operations of relief.

The central government admitted that there were “dozens and dozens” of missing people, suggesting a potentially higher human toll.