the death toll rises to 211, 10,000 additional soldiers and police officers sent as reinforcements

Four days after the devastating floods that occurred during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday which devastated the south-east of Spain, new military reinforcements arrived on Saturday November 2 to help search for the missing and restore the ravaged localities. by torrents of mud. According to a latest report communicated at the end of the morning by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, at least 211 people died, and operations continued to find those missing.

This toll could thus rise further, with many missing people still being sought, particularly in the carcasses of cars overturned by the raging waves, which litter the parking lots and streets. The president of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazon, assured Friday evening that there was still no official figure concerning the missing people, while residents without news of their loved ones increased their calls for help. help on social networks.

“It would be imprudent to give a figure”confirmed on the Antena 3 television channel the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. Nevertheless, “it is probable, given the circumstances and the feedback from experts (…) that there will be more deaths”he added.

The regional government of Valencia blamed

The Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, who chaired a meeting of the crisis committee on Saturday morning at the Moncloa Palace, the official residence of the head of government, announced the sending of 5,000 soldiers – bringing the total number of soldiers to 7,000 deployed on the ground – and 5,000 additional police officers and gendarmes – which will double the number of law enforcement agents on the ground – “in the coming hours” to help the inhabitants of the south-east of the country.

These floods have “caused the greatest natural disaster in the recent history of our country”added the head of government. “I am aware that the answer given is not sufficient. I know there are serious problems and deficiencies”Mr. Sanchez also declared.

Speaking at a press conference on Saturday evening, the president of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazon, announced a battery of economic aid and the return of order.

“There are people who may have felt alone, helpless, unprotected and I understand that”recognized the elected official. But “I want to send a clear message: we will help all households” victims, he continued, “We are facing the challenge of our lives and we are going to find the solutions”.

The regional government of Valencia – and Carlos Mazon in particular – is the subject of insistent criticism for having sent a late telephone alert message to residents on Tuesday, when Aemet had placed the region in “red alert” from the morning. Criticisms rejected by Mr. Mazon, who ensures that he followed the protocol in force and highlighted “the spirit of solidarity of the population” of his region in the face of adversity.

Theft and acts of looting

Today, the priority remains the search for the missing and the reopening of the roads to allow “transportation” aid and recovery of “essential services”by clearing vehicles and rubble that prevent traffic, assured Mr. Sanchez. 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.

The latter also promised to restore order in the affected areas. 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 carried out “82 arrests”he clarified.

In a daily interview The Countrythe Minister of Transport, Oscar Puente, recognized 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.

Volunteers called to return home

In this dismal panorama, the outpourings of solidarity continue, notably in Valencia, where thousands of people gathered for the second day in a row on Saturday at dawn to go on foot to neighboring towns, equipped with shovels and brooms. “Yesterday we brought tons of food and water to the most affected municipalities”Susana Camarero, vice-president of the Valencia region, assured journalists, recognizing that operations were hampered by the state of the infrastructure.

“Many villages were isolated and we called local councils to find out what they needed, but there were no phones”she recalled, while thousands of people remain deprived of communications. On Friday, the number of volunteers was such that the authorities called on residents going 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 (Aemet) warned that heavy rainfall would still occur in the province of Castellon, in the north of the Valencia region, placed on orange alert.