The Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, confirmed on Friday evening in the Hora 25 program that there were 207 fatalities. But he quickly added that “it is reasonable to think there will be more deaths. It is impossible to know the number of missing and it would not be wise on my part to give a figure.”
In the worst-hit region of Valencia alone, 204 deaths occurred. Two people were killed in the Castile-La Mancha region, one in Andalusia.
The newspaper El Diaro reports that approximately 1,900 residents were originally reported missing by telephone. The newspaper obtained that information from Valencia’s civil defense. But Grande-Marlaska could not confirm that number. “These figures are not taken into account because they do not meet proper criteria,” it said.
It has now been possible to trace 600 people who were reported missing after the disaster. Of the more than 200 deaths, 17 victims have now been identified. Many bodies have not yet been recovered. Until everything has been cleared up, it is impossible to gain insight into how many victims remain.
DS Video | Kasper Goethals in Paiporta: “Solidarity provides support, but many people are desperate.” — © De Standaard
The Ministry of Defense will deploy an additional 1,000 troops to the affected areas. On Friday, 750 additional soldiers joined the 1,200 already on site.
Local hospitals are currently overwhelmed with patients and are in danger of collapsing, it was said on Friday evening during a press conference with Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Carlos Mazón, who heads the regional government in Valencia.
In Valencia, thousands of volunteers have once again gathered to travel to the suburbs worst affected by the floods. Miguel Salvador, president of the Volunteer Platform of the Valencian Community, expects around 6,000 to 7,000 volunteers on Saturday. These will be taken to the affected regions by buses.
