Spain is deploying 7,500 troops to its flood-stricken eastern region, the government announced on Monday, as anger mounts over the response to the disaster that has claimed at least
217 lives.
Over the weekend, around 5,000 soldiers were deployed to aid in distributing food and water, cleaning streets, and protecting properties from looters. Defense Minister Margarita Robles said an additional 2,500 troops would join them, speaking to state radio RNE.
A warship carrying 104 marine infantry soldiers, along with trucks loaded with food and water, was en route to Valencia port. Meanwhile, a severe hailstorm battered Barcelona, about 300 km (186 miles) to the north.
On Monday, rescue teams were searching for bodies in underground garages, including a 5,000-car parking facility at the Bonaire shopping mall near Valencia airport, and in river mouths where floodwaters may have swept victims.
The death toll from Spain’s worst flash floods in modern history rose to 217 on Sunday, with most casualties reported in the Valencia region, including over 60 in the suburb of Paiporta.
Local residents have expressed frustration over delayed flood warnings and what they see as a sluggish response from emergency services. In Paiporta on Sunday, some residents hurled mud at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, shouting, "Murderers, murderers!"
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said on Sunday that the death toll had stabilized, as all surface-level victims had been accounted for.
The torrential rains on Tuesday and Wednesday caused rivers to overflow, inundating streets and the ground floors of buildings, and carrying away vehicles and debris in waves of mud. This disaster is the worst of its kind in Europe in five decades.
Although it continued to rain throughout the week, no additional major flooding has occurred. On Monday, Spain’s weather agency issued a warning for Barcelona as heavy rain and hailstorms hit the country’s second-largest city.
Some protesters on Sunday wore clothing bearing symbols of far-right organizations known for staging protests against the leftist government. Defense Minister Robles noted that extremist groups were exploiting the crisis for political purposes. Photo by LCpl. Andrew Williams (USMC), Wikimedia commons.