Spain sent more soldiers this Monday to the east of the country, affected by floods, where rescue teams searched underground parking lots in search of bodies and protests multiplied over the government’s management of a catastrophe in which at least 217 people have died.
The military sent about 5,000 soldiers over the weekend to help distribute food and water, clean streets and protect stores and property from looters. Another 2,500 will join them, Defense Minister Margarita Robles told public radio RNE.
A warship carrying 104 marines, as well as trucks with food and water, approached the port of Valencia as a severe hail storm hit Barcelona, about 300 kilometers to the north. There, an alert from regional authorities warned of possible landslides and more flooding.
Airport operator AENA said some 50 flights due to take off from Barcelona’s partially flooded El Prat airport had been canceled or were facing serious delays, while 17 due to land there were diverted. Some commuter rail services were also cancelled.
The fatalities from the worst floods in the modern history of Spain rose to 217 on Sunday, almost all of them in the Valencian Community and more than 70 in the town of Paiporta.
Rescuers searched parking lots and river mouths where currents could have carried more bodies.
Outrage among local residents focused on late warnings from authorities about the dangers of flooding and a perceived late response from emergency services.
On Sunday, some people present in Paiporta threw mud against the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and against King Felipe and his wife, Queen Letizia, shouting “murderers, murderers!”
The photos showed Sánchez’s official vehicle with broken windows.
Some of the people protesting on Sunday in Paiporta wore clothing with the symbols of far-right organizations that usually organize protests against the left-wing Government. Robles said extremist groups were taking advantage of the situation for political gain.
Read more: Is it normal for a storm like the one in Spain to last so long? No, the situation is ‘exceptional’
Daily protests in Madrid show discontent with the authorities over flooding
Several left-wing unions and cultural associations have announced a protest in Valencia on Saturday to call for the resignation of the regional president, Carlos Mazón, of the conservative Popular Party.
A daily protest in Madrid outside the headquarters of Sánchez’s Socialist Party on Sunday attracted more people, about 600, due to anger over the flooding, according to the newspaper El País.
Opposition politicians accused the left-wing central government of acting too slowly in warning residents and sending rescuers, while Madrid has said regional authorities are responsible for civil protection.
The lack of clarity about the number of dead and missing has increased frustration. A telephone line has been set up for relatives to report the missing and the Government affirms that there are still “dozens and dozens” of people missing.
Forensic services reported on Sunday that 183 autopsies had been carried out and 67 people had been identified.
The government said on Sunday that the death toll had stabilized because all victims on the surface had been identified.
Torrential rains on Tuesday and Wednesday caused rivers to swell, engulfing streets and ground floors of buildings and carrying away cars and pieces of masonry in tides of mud.
It is the worst flood-related disaster in Europe in five decades. Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
Meteorologists believe that the warming of the Mediterranean Sea, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in the intensification of torrential rains.
Although rainfall has continued for the rest of the week, there has been no further major flooding in the area.
With information from Reuters
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