The number of those who died as a result of the strongest flood, which fell on October 29 to the Spanish province of Valencia, reached 211 people. Search and rescue work continues, and the number of victims may increase.
As the Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sanchez said at a meeting of the crisis headquarters, 208 people died in Valencia, 3 more in Castile-la Manche. He also announced the deployment of 10 thousand security officers in the region, including 5 thousand military, to conduct rescue operations and maintain order.
Sanchez emphasized that this is an unprecedented incident in the history of modern Spain, when such a large number of security forces are sent to one region. He noted that natural disaster has accepted catastrophic proportions, and help has not yet reached all the injured areas.
Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities do not provide accurate data on the number of missing. According to media reports, according to the operational headquarters in Valencia, the number of missing people can reach 1300 people. However, officials refute this information, limited to general statements about the large number of missing.
Despite the fact that search and rescue work is ongoing, the situation remains complicated. So, in the city of Benitusser, rescuers found a woman who spent three days in a flooded car.
About 17,500 people are involved in rescue work, including police, firefighters, military and volunteers. Residents of the regions that have not suffered from floods are actively involved in assisting the victims.
According to the Valencia Chamber of Commerce and Industry, about 4,500 enterprises suffered as a result of a natural disaster, which is about 31% of the total number of employees in the region. In addition, more than 100 thousand cars were damaged. Cleaning the city from flooded cars can take several months.
against the backdrop of a spontaneous disaster in the region, cases of looting have become more frequent. According to the police, 82 people have already been detained, 10 of whom were arrested.
Many Spanish companies, sports clubs and other organizations provide assistance to the victims of floods.
The natural disaster, which the Spanish media calls the “most deadly in the history of the country” and the “catastrophe of the century”, caused great damage to the economy and infrastructure of the region Valencia.