Floods in Spain: 93 people missing, according to a new report

A total of 93 people are missing since the floods which devastated the south-east of Spain eight days ago, according to a new report published Wednesday by the superior court of justice of the Valencia region.

Tuesday evening, this court indicated that 89 people were wanted since the bad weather, which caused at least 219 victims, mainly in the Valencia region, according to reports provided by national and regional authorities.

In a press release published Wednesday evening, the court specifies that four new disappearances have been officially reported to the police and gendarmerie, bringing the number of people wanted to 93.

The number of missing peoplemay increase or decrease depending on new identifications of deceased persons, an increase in the number of reports of disappearances or the location of living persons“, he specifies, however.

On the ground, search operations continued on Wednesday, particularly in underground car parks and waterways in the suburbs of Valencia, the area most affected by the floods. The 15,000 soldiers and police deployed in the region also continue to participate in the clearance and restoration work of roads and infrastructure destroyed by bad weather.

Faced with the scale of the disaster, the government announced on Tuesday an emergency grant of 10.6 billion euros, providing direct aid for affected residents and businesses and support for work undertaken by municipalities.

On Wednesday, the European Investment Bank (EIB), led since January by the former Spanish Minister of the Economy Nadia Calviño, announced financial aid of 900 million euros to help with the reconstruction of the region.