Floods in Spain: at least 211 dead and new military reinforcements

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, announced on Saturday the sending of 10,000 additional soldiers and police officers to the south-east of the country to come to the aid of the victims and help in the search for the missing, four days after the floods which left at least 211 dead.

The bad weather that occurred during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday caused the greatest natural disaster in the recent history of our countryunderlined the head of government during an institutional declaration after a meeting of the crisis committee on flooding.

At this stage, emergency services have recorded 211 deathscontinued the socialist leader, specifying that operations were continuing to find the missing people, the number of whom is at this stage unknown.

A heavy toll

The latest report from the authorities, given Friday evening, showed at least 207 victims, including 204 in the Valencia region, the hardest hit by these spectacular bad weather. Two other people died in Castile-la Mancha and a third in Andalusia.

Questioned by the Antena 3 television channel, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, affirmed that he was reckless to give a number. More it is likely […] that there will be more deathshe clarified.

Rescuers expect to find additional victims, particularly in the carcasses of cars overturned by the torrents of mud, which still litter the parking lots and streets of the most affected communities.

To deal with this situation, Pedro Sánchez announced the sending in the coming hours 5,000 additional soldiers, as requested by the regional government of Valencia. This figure brings the total number of soldiers deployed on the ground to 7,000.

Nearly 5,000 additional police officers and gendarmes will also be sent to the field in the coming hours, which will double the number of law enforcement agents on the ground.

I am aware that the response given is not sufficient, I know that there are serious problems and shortcomingsalso declared the Prime Minister, in response to criticism against the lack of responsiveness of the authorities which has not abated.

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The regional government of Valencia is notably accused of having sent a telephone alert message to residents very late on Tuesday, while the Spanish meteorological agency had placed the Valencia region in red alert from the morning.

Today, the priority remains the search for the missing and the reopening of the roads to allow delivery aid and recovery of essential servicesby clearing vehicles and rubble that prevent traffic, assured Mr. Sánchez.

In total, more than 2,000 damaged cars and trucks were removed, as well as hundreds of tons of mud and debris, according to the head of government, who also promised to restore order in the affected areas.

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Since the floods, which occurred during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, the authorities have noted acts of looting and theft. The police have already carried out 82 arrestshe clarified.

In a daily interview He byeisthe Minister of Transport, Oscar Puente, recognized that many localities had serious communication difficulties because the network is practically destroyed. The scale of this disaster is unprecedented in the history of our countryhe insisted.

In this dismal panorama, the outpourings of solidarity continued, particularly near Valencia, where thousands of people gathered at dawn for the second day in a row to go on foot to neighboring towns, equipped with shovels. and brooms, according to a journalist from Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The aid is insufficient. Fortunately, Spain knows how to show solidaritysaid to theAFP Alicia Izquierdo, who went on Friday with her sister Marta with two carts full of food to their brother’s house in Paiporta, a town of more than 25,000 inhabitants, where at least 62 deaths have been recorded.

On Friday, the number of volunteers was such that the authorities asked residents traveling by car to the affected communities to stay at home so as not to clog the roads and prevent the passage of help.

In the suburbs of Valencia, the work of rescuers and soldiers should take place under mild skies on Saturday. But the National Meteorological Agency announced that heavy rainfall would still occur in the province of Castellon, in the north of the Valencia region, placed on orange alert.