The search for victims and restoration efforts continues in Valencia, six days after the tragic floods hit the southeastern region of Spain, killing at least 217 people.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ordered the largest peacetime troop deployment in the country’s history of around 7,500 soldiers over the weekend, after a widespread outcry of government-level inaction to the disaster.
Thousands of volunteers from all over Europe have also helped with clean-up and rescue efforts in the mud-filled cities. The authorities have started limiting the amount of volunteers allowed in.
Young Moroccan volunteers have shared videos of the aftermath of the floods in Paiporta, the worst affected city.
Footage shows streets covered in mud and piled up cars, some of which were completely destroyed after the intense and sudden flow of mud water.
Rescue workers are forced to prioritize accessible areas as the weather continues to hinder their efforts.
The death toll is expected to rise as troops and rescuers manage to reach some of the houses that were inaccessible and filled with mud and debris.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente said that rescue teams are focused on “more accessible areas” on the surfaces. He noted that “flooded ground floors, basements, and parking lots” could still have dead bodies inside.
Authorities are concerned about what they could find in underground parking lots, such as the one in Centro Comercial Bonaire, a shopping center in Aldaia.
It is feared that shoppers and workers were trapped inside the parking lot as flood water submerged the entire underground level of the shopping mall.
The Military Emergency Unit, which specializes in natural disaster support, has installed pumps to drain the water out at underground levels. Divers have attempted to enter the area, but no bodies have been recovered yet.