Death Toll from Flooding in Spain Rises to 217

Officials announced on Sunday that the death toll from the severe flooding in Valencia, Spain, has risen to 217, as efforts to search for survivors and recover bodies continue in the affected cities and towns.

“The situation we are living in is tragic,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated during a televised address on Saturday, as he described the discovery of bodies in garages, homes, along riverbanks, and on roads.

“We are almost certainly talking about the most serious flooding our continent has seen so far this century. And I am aware that the response that is being given is not enough.”

Sánchez announced that the government is deploying 10,000 soldiers and police to the eastern region of Valencia, approximately 200 miles east of Madrid, to support local authorities.

“We have activated the largest deployment, which has already carried out 4,800 rescues and has helped more than 30,000 people in flooded homes, roads and industrial estates,” Sánchez said. “Unfortunately, the magnitude of the catastrophe means that they are insufficient.”

The catastrophic flooding started last Tuesday due to intense rainfall in southeastern Spain, rapidly flooding streets and trapping individuals in their cars and businesses.

The Valencia region received the equivalent of a year’s worth of rain in just eight hours, as reported by the State Meteorological Agency.

Carlos Mazon, the president of the Valencia region, stated in Spanish on Saturday that 69 municipalities throughout the region were either fully or partially impacted by the flooding.

“We have all seen fallen bridges, collapsed roads, washed-out train tracks and the streets of our towns full of mud, cars and furniture piled up,” he said.