Valencia floods: Troops head to Spain flood zone as death toll hits 217 and rain soaks Barcelona
Spanish authorities have sent more soldiers to the country’s flood-hit east where rescuers scoured underground car parks for bodies and protests bubbled over the government’s handling of a disaster that has killed at least 217 people.
The army sent about 5000 soldiers over the weekend to help distribute food and water, clean up streets and guard against looters.
A further 2500 would join them, Defence Minister Margarita Robles told state-owned radio RNE.
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An alert from regional authorities warned of potential landslides and more flooding.
Airport operator AENA said about 50 flights due to take off from Barcelona’s partially flooded El Prat airport were cancelled or severely delayed while 17 due to land there were diverted.
Some local train services were also cancelled.
Fatalities from Spain’s worst flash floods in modern history edged higher to 217 on Sunday, almost all of them in the Valencia region and more than 60 in the suburb of Paiporta.
Rescue teams searched car parks and river mouths where currents may have deposited more bodies.
Locals criticised late alerts from authorities about the dangers and a perceived delayed response by emergency services.
On Sunday, some residents in Paiporta slung mud at Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and King Felipe and his wife Queen Letizia, chanting: “murderers, murderers!”
Photos showed Sanchez’s official car with broken windows.
Lack of clarity over numbers of dead and missing has added to frustration.
A landline has been set up for relatives to report the missing, with the government saying “dozens and dozens” are still unaccounted for.
Coroner services on Sunday said 183 autopsies had been performed, and 67 people identified.
The government said on Sunday the death toll had stabilised because all victims on the surface had been identified.
The midweek torrential rains caused rivers to swell, engulfing streets and ground floors of buildings, and sweeping away cars and masonry in tides of mud.
