Moscow, Nov 2 (UNI) The death toll from heavy rains and flooding in Spain has risen to 207 people and will continue to increase, Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said on Saturday.
“According to the latest data that I have, the number of victims is 207,” the minister told Spanish broadcaster Cadena SER, adding that “the death toll will increase” based on the experts’ assessment.
At the same time, about 500 people could have died in Spain as a result of flooding, the Espanol newspaper reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
There are still many places where the emergency services have not yet conducted searches, such as flooded car parks, the newspaper reported.
“We do not know the exact number of missing people. We cannot imagine the scale of what we are working with,” one of the firefighters working in Valencia was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
On Friday, the death toll in Valencia rose to 202, the regional authorities said. Madrid deployed an additional 250 military personnel to assist those affected by the flooding, thus raising the number of soldiers helping in wreckage removal to 2,000, the Spanish Defense Ministry said.
Heavy rains and storms have caused an emergency situation in Spain, particularly in Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, and Andalusia. Valencia has declared a maximum red alert. Flooding caused the closure of over 60 roads and dozens of secondary roads. Over 1,500 troops have been deployed in the flood-hit areas to assist local emergency services.
Additionally, the Spanish government declared a three-day mourning for the victims, Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres said, adding that the mourning would last from October 31 to November 2 and that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has transferred the corresponding decree to King Felipe VI.
