Death toll in Spanish floods rises to 205 as rescue efforts continue

The death toll from the flash floods devastating parts of east and southern Spain rose to 205 on Friday, according to the Centre of Coordinated and Integrated Operations in the Valencian region.

Since Thursday, 50 additional fatalities have now been confirmed, bringing the total tally to 202 in the Valencian region. Three more deaths were recorded in neighboring Castilla-La Mancha and the southern region of Andalusia in the worst floods in the history of modern Spain.

The Valencian regional government has announced that the Valencia Congress Centre would be used as a temporary mortuary to accommodate the victims' bodies. Emergency services are continuing search and rescue operations, with more fatalities expected to be confirmed in the coming hours.

Spain's minister of defence Margarita Robles confirmed on Friday that another 500 members of the armed forces are being deployed to assist in the affected regions, Xinhua news agency reported.

The flood struck suddenly on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning, bringing some areas over a year's worth of rainfall within four to five hours. Spain's ministry of transport and sustainability has announced over 25 million euros (USD 27.18 million) of emergency funds for immediate repairs on the most severely impacted roads.

👀Before and after satellite imagery from @ESA_EO shows the unimaginable destruction left in the wake of the flooding in #Spain (which is still ongoing). It's as if a lake formed where there was normally dry land. (Credit: USGS, processed by ESA) @CNN pic.twitter.com/WwsKwFi3Lt

— Derek Van Dam (@VanDamCNN) October 31, 2024

The BBC reports that the search for five missing people in Letur in Castilla-La Mancha intensified today, with heavy machinery and dogs brought in to aid the search. More than 200 troops and volunteers are searching within a five-km radius, focusing on Letur's old town.

The town's mayor, Sergio Marín, told state news channel RTVE on Thursday night: “All my support to the families, no administration is going to leave them alone.”

A CNN report (see tweet above) says the deadly flooding "following intense, historic rainfall is so expansive and severe the area looked like an inland sea from space", with floodwater breaking riverbanks, turning streets into raging rapids and washing away cars and bridges.

Residents in the Valencia region have reportedly been warned to brace for more rain and an additional 1,000 soldiers were earmarked to help with rescue operations, a Guardian report says.

Vamos a lanzar un mensaje muy claro y lo vamos a dejar fijado. La emergencia meteorológica no ha finalizado. La dana sigue sobre España. Se están produciendo tormentas muy intensas, ayer en Andalucía, hoy en Castellón. Vamos a seguir así gran parte de la semana.

— AEMET_C. Valenciana (@AEMET_CValencia) October 31, 2024

Quoting the state weather agency Aemet, the report said four regions, including Valencia, remained on amber alert owing to the risk of rains and storms.

On Thursday, Aemet had warned that the adverse weather conditions were expected to continue in the coming days. “We’re going to send a clear message,” the agency wrote in a post on X. “The meteorological emergency is not over. The storm still continues over Spain.”

With IANS inputs