As the government sent out more troops in a frantic attempt to find survivors, rescuers on Friday increased the number of fatalities in Spain’s worst floods in a generation to 205.
The floods are the deadliest natural disaster to hit the European nation in decades.
According to the organization in charge of emergency services coordination in the most affected area of eastern Valencia, 202 confirmed deaths have occurred there.
Authorities in neighboring Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha had previously reported a total of three fatalities in their areas.
To find the dozens of persons the authorities suspect are still missing, rescuers using drones and sniffer dogs walked through water and dug through wreckage.
In order to support the 1,200 troops already present for search, rescue, and logistics duties, the government is sending an additional 500 troops to the affected areas.
Three days after the floods started, many roads and rail lines are still inaccessible, and some cut-off towns are still without food, water, or electricity, which raises concerns that the death toll may rise.
The village west of Valencia city received 491 mm of rain in just eight hours on Tuesday, which is over a year’s worth, according to the national weather service AEMET.
On Friday, police said that they had taken 50 persons into custody for crimes involving jewelry store and auto theft.
Valencia City’s courthouse was transformed into a morgue, as smock-clad medical personnel carried stretchers draped in white sheets.
To assist anxious neighbors in the city’s flooded outskirts, hundreds of volunteers equipped with shovels, buckets, and shopping trolleys filled with food and diapers departed Valencia on Friday, according to an AFP correspondent.
