In Spain, the metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona placed on red alert, the search for the missing continues in the Valencia region

While the situation of “weather crisis” ended in the Valencia region, in Spain, the Spanish meteorological agency (Aemet) placed on red alert, Monday November 4, Barcelona and its metropolitan area, 350 kilometers further north, where torrential rains began to fall .

In the capital of Catalonia, commuter train traffic was suspended and a crisis committee was established at Barcelona-El Prat international airport, where around fifteen flights were diverted, according to the authorities.

Six days after the terrible floods which left at least 217 dead – including 213 in the Valencia region alone, three in Castile-La Mancha and one in Andalusia – the priority remains locating the missing. The number of victims could further increase, while an unspecified number of residents are still missing and many underground car parks, completely flooded, have not yet been fully inspected.

“A terrible unknown”

The authorities are particularly concerned about the situation of the underground parking lot in Bonaire, a vast shopping center in Aldaia, a town of 31,000 inhabitants in the suburbs of Valencia. With a capacity of 5,700 places, almost half of which are underground, the latter is completely flooded. “The shopping center is devastated in its upper part. And down there is a terrible unknown. We're not sure what we'll find.”said the mayor of Aldaia, Guillermo Lujan, on public television TVE. “We want to be careful” more “it can be terrible”.

In recent days, the personnel of the Military Emergency Unit (UME), which responds to natural disasters, have installed numerous pumps to begin evacuating the water. Divers have managed to penetrate the underground, without spotting any bodies so far.

In the localities most affected by the floods, anger and distress still predominate. Many streets remain clogged with piles of cars, mud and trash, and homes without telephones or electricity.

Helplessness and anger

On Sunday, this feeling of helplessness turned into a flood of anger when King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia traveled with the Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, and the conservative president of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazon, to Paiporta , a town considered the epicenter of the tragedy. « Assassins ! »shouted exasperated residents. Some people threw mud and various objects at the procession, while insults were hurled at the Prime Minister and Mr. Mazon, who were quickly evacuated by the security services.

In extreme tension, the sovereigns received mud on their faces and clothes, an episode undoubtedly without precedent in the history of the Spanish monarchy. Visibly moved, but unmoved, they stayed for an hour to talk to residents before leaving. The Minister of Transport, Oscar Puente, admitted on television that this trip had perhaps not been organized at the best time, admitting “a possible error”.

Due to the poor state of the roads and still rainy weather, the authorities maintained traffic restrictions on several roads in the Valencia region on Monday, where schools will remain closed all day.