Pedro Sanchez announced this Saturday, November 2, the sending of 10,000 additional soldiers and police officers to help find the missing, after the deadly floods of recent days.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez communicated a new toll of 211 deaths in bad weather in recent days and announced the dispatch of 10,000 additional soldiers and police officers this Saturday, November 2.
“5,000 additional soldiers” will be deployed “in the coming hours” to help residents of the disaster areas, Pedro Sanchez said in an official statement from the Moncloa Palace, residence of the head of government.
To these soldiers will be added “5,000 additional police officers and civil guards (equivalent to gendarmes in Spain, editor's note)”, he added.
A toll that should increase
The Valencia region is by far the most affected by this spectacular bad weather, with more than 200 deaths recorded. And the toll could rise further, while many missing people are still being sought, particularly in the carcasses of cars overturned by the waves.
The president of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazón, assured Friday evening that there was still no official figure concerning those missing, while residents without news of their loved ones increased their calls for help. help on social networks.
“It is likely, given the circumstances and the feedback from experts (…) that there will be more deaths,” he warned.
Reopen the roads and restore order
One of the army's priorities, in addition to the search for the missing, is to reopen the roads to allow the delivery of aid, particularly food, by clearing vehicles and rubble which prevent circulation, and to restore the order in the affected municipalities.
Since the floods, which occurred during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the authorities have noted acts of looting and theft. The police announced that they had already arrested several dozen people, several of whom were placed in pre-trial detention.
The outpourings of solidarity continue, particularly in Valencia, where thousands of people gathered for the second consecutive day on Saturday at dawn to go on foot to neighboring towns, equipped with shovels and brooms.
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