The latest report given this Friday evening by the authorities shows at least 207 victims, including 204 in the Valencia region, the most affected by these spectacular bad weather. Two other people died in Castile-la-Mancha and a third in Andalusia.
But this toll could 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.
Increased calls for help
This Friday evening, Carlos Mazón, president of the Valencia region, assured that there was still no official figure concerning the missing people, while residents without news of their loved ones increased their calls to help on social networks. “It would be imprudent to give a figure,” Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska confirmed on the Antena 3 television channel. However, “it is likely, given the circumstances and the feedback from experts (…), that there will be more deaths,” he said.
2,500 soldiers mobilized
To deal with this situation, 500 additional soldiers are to be deployed to the Valencia region this Saturday, bringing the number of men in the area to 2,500. Several thousand police officers, gendarmes and firefighters are also mobilized.
Among the priorities, the reopening of the roads
In addition to the search for the missing, one of the army's priorities is to reopen the roads to allow the delivery of aid, particularly food, by clearing vehicles and rubble that prevent traffic, 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.
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