Fears are growing that large numbers of bodies that remain trapped underwater following the worst flood-related disaster in Spain’s modern history.
The death toll of the midweek floods has reached 214. Thousands of troops have been mobilised in what Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez called the “biggest operation by the Armed Forces in Spain in peacetime”.
But there are growing concerns of what will be found in the entirely submerged underground car park of Bonaire shopping centre, one of the largest in Spain.
Authorities began pumping out water but have now sent specialist scuba divers into the car park to look for bodies, according to a Sky News report.
Eduardo Martinez, who works in the shopping centre, told ElDiario.es that many people “ignored” advice from a security guard not to collect their cars from an underground car park when the flooding began.
“No-one knows for sure how many people there might still be down there,” he added.
Meanwhile, King Felipe of Spain has arrived in Valencia alongside Queen Letizia and prime minister Pedro Sanchez.
They are meeting survivors, rescue workers and local officials as they visit the worst-affected areas.
Fears of many dead in submerged underground car park
Specialist divers have entered the underground car park of Bonaire shopping centre, where it is feared some were trapped while trying to leave with their vehicles.
Authorities are also pumping water out of the car park in a process which could take days, Sky News reported.
Eduardo Martinez works in the shopping centre, which is one of Spain’s largest. He decided to leave his vehicle in the car park after he found himself in waist high water when he tried to drive home.
Mr Martinez instead chose to spend the night in a top-floor cinema, he told ElDiario.es.
But he said that many people “ignored” advice from a security guard not to collect their cars from an underground car park when the flooding began.
“No-one knows for sure how many people there might still be down there,” he added.
King Felipe, Queen Letizia and Spanish PM arrive in Valencia
King Felipe VI of Spain has arrived in Valencia to visit the areas devastated by Spain’s worst flooding in modern history.
He has been joined by Queen Letizia and Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez as they meet survivors, rescue workers and local officials.
Reminder: What happened on Tuesday and Wednesday?
Torrential rain on Tuesday catalysed the most catastrophic flooding Spain has seen in its modern history.
Flash floods struck eastern Spain in a matter of just minutes on Tuesday evening, with residents trapped in cars and homes after having no time to react.
It began when storms concentrated over the Magro and Turia river basins, and in the Poyo riverbed, causing huge walls of water to overflow the riverbanks.
Within just minutes, roads, railways, houses, businesses and cars were flooded by gushing, muddy flood water in the towns and villages on the southern outskirts of Valencia city.
People were caught unaware by the sudden flooding which has turned their livelihoods upside down.
The national weather service of Spain said that in the locality of Chiva it rained more in eight hours than it had in the 20 months previous. Some areas on the outskirts of Valencia city were swept up in the flooding before it even rained.
Authorities sent out alerts to mobile phones to warn people to stay at home due to the severity of the flooding. But many were working or on the road at the time.
The entirety of Spain was left reeling, before a major clean-up and rescue operation got underway from Wednesday onwards. The government has brought in 7,500 soldiers and 5,000 extra police officers to lead the response.
The death toll now lies at 214.
In pictures: Firefighters dig out car wreckage in search for victims
Prime minister to visit affected areas with King and Queen of Spain
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez has met with Spain’s crisis committee as the mammoth rescue and clean-up operation continues in the eastern Valencia region.
He will later meet with the King and the Queen to visit the affected regions.
The official government account wrote on X: “The President of the Government, @sanchezcastejon, chaired this morning the Crisis Committee to monitor the effects of the DANA in La Moncloa.
“He will then accompany Their Majesties the King and Queen on their visit to the affected areas in the Valencian Community.”
Fresh weather warnings for rain and hail in Valencia
Fresh weather warnings for rain, hail and storms have been issued by the Spanish government.
The hardest-hit region of Valencia is among the southern and eastern regions where Aemet, the country’s meteorological agency, has implemented an orange alert for a “significant risk” of rains and storms, which might also bring hail, between 9am and midnight on Sunday.
Castellón is among the areas facing a yellow weather warning, which means there is a “risk” of rains, storms and hail.
Watch: Rescuers wade through building’s chest-high water in search for missing
Spain floods: Rescuers wade through building’s chest-high water in search for missing
Rescuers in Spain braved chest-high water inside buildings to search for missing people in the catastrophic aftermath of flooding, footage posted on Saturday (2 November) showed. At least 214 people have died in the extreme weather conditions, with more than 200 of those killed in the hardest-hit region of Valencia alone. Footage posted by the Guardia Civil police force showed mountain rescue specialists wading through water inside a garage in Paiporta. An extra 5,000 soldiers are being deployed to the flooded Valencia region to support the “biggest operation by the Armed Forces in Spain in peacetime”, prime minister Pedro Sanchez said.
Spain mounts biggest peacetime disaster recovery operation as death toll reaches 214
The deadliest flash floods in Spain’s modern history have killed at least 214 people and dozens were still unaccounted for, four days after torrential rains swept the eastern region of Valencia, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday.
In a televised statement, Sanchez said the government was sending 5,000 more army troops to help with the searches and clean-up in addition to 2,500 soldiers already deployed.
“It is the biggest operation by the Armed Forces in Spain in peacetime,” Sanchez said. “The government is going to mobilize all the resources necessary as long as they are needed.”
Valencian regional authorities said on Saturday night the total number of fatalities in the region was 211, plus two from Castilla La Mancha and one in Andalusia.
Why were Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods so deadly? Everything we know as images reveal devastation
The deadly floods left cars piled up like toys in streets, swallowed homes, and covered entire neighbourhoods in sludge and debris.
Thousands of people are still facing power and water cuts and shortages of basic goods, especially in the eastern region, the worst affected.
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Source: independent.co.uk