FAST DOWNLOAD
Spanish rescuers are focusing their search for missing people on underground garages and a multi-storey car park in Valencia following last week’s devastating floods.
It is feared shoppers and workers were trapped inside the car park at a shopping mall in Aldaia, on the outskirts of Valencia, as floodwater overwhelmed the area.
Police have confirmed that no victims were located in the first 50 vehicles inspected at the site.
But reports suggest these vehicles were found near the entrance to the car park, with much of the rest of it still submerged and yet to be explored.
It comes as Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) placed part of the north-eastern Catalonia region on red alert for torrential rain, with its capital Barcelona experiencing flooding on Monday morning.
Catalan media showed footage of cars partially submerged on a highway and floodwater entering a bus.
Water has also entered parts of the city’s El Prat airport, including the public area of Terminal 1. More than 80 flights have been cancelled, delayed or diverted, while rail services have been suspended.
The death toll across the affected areas now stands at 217, after a year’s worth of rain fell in and around Valencia last week. So far no deaths have been reported in Catalonia.
Among the dead were a British couple in their 70s, whose family confirmed they had been found dead in their car days after the flash floods hit Valencia.
On Monday morning, Spain’s interior minister refused to say how many were still missing.
The storm caught many victims in their vehicles on roads and in underground spaces such as car parks, tunnels and garages, where rescue operations are particularly difficult.
Outside the Bonaire shopping mall in Aldaia on Monday, rotting piles of debris lined the roads while noisy generators pumped out water – but thousands of gallons remained inside the mall car park.
Spanish police used drones to check the inside of the flooded parking to have a first look of the situation, a police spokesperson said.
When the BBC asked a local police officer how much longer the operation would take, he said he could not give an estimate, but that teams would stay as long as necessary.
As is the case in many parts of the region that have been devastated by the floods, there is a vacuum of information.
EPAThere has been anger at a perceived lack of warning and insufficient support from authorities after the floods.
On Sunday, the king and queen of Spain were pelted with mud and other objects by angry protesters during a visit to the town of Paiporta – one of the worst-affected in the Valencia region.
Objects were also thrown at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who was quickly evacuated.
The Civil Guard has opened an investigation into the chaotic scenes, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told public broadcaster TVE.
He blamed “marginal groups” for instigating the violence where mud spattered the monarchs’ face and clothes.
In a news conference on Monday, the chief of Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit (UME) said it had pre-deployed 500 troops to Valencia so they could begin working as soon as they were authorised to.
General Francisco Javier Marcos said that when he saw the situation worsen, he sent alerts to 1,000 soldiers, who travelled overnight “so that by dawn the next day, people of Valencia could see that the armed forces were there”.
He added: “You might say we didn’t intervene rapidly. The weather prevented that partially, and secondly, it was a matter of order and discipline.
“You might say that doesn’t justify being slow – well look, you can’t bring more chaos to an already very chaotic situation.”
Local authorities in Valencia have extended travel restrictions for another two days to facilitate the work of the emergency services, cancelled school classes and urged people to work from home.
Gen Marcos said gridlock on some roads was making it hard to distribute food to the 69 affected municipalities.
He said that the number of troops on the ground had been “scaled up” – with 7,800 due by 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Monday. These were being supported by 17,000 volunteers and 5,000 army soldiers offering logistical support, he said.
A warship carrying 104 marine infantry soldiers as well as trucks with food and water docked in Valencia’s port on Monday.
Gen Marcos said the UME was “doing everything we can”, including working double shifts.
He added: “We must be disciplined and we must be patient. I know that’s hard, because pain and emotion means that’s not easy.”
