NewDelhi: Heavy rains and devastating flooding continue to hit Spain as the situation has been worsened by more heavy downpour. Until now, the floods have been responsible for 140 deaths and on Thursday, Spanish officials have encouraged their citizens in those regions to remain closed indoors to prevent being trapped during rescues.
Authorities say the toll could increase because there are still many missing individuals and rescuers are still trying to find them. Valencia has suffered the most significant losses as a result of the flooding, with most areas in the city being badly affected.
Spain Put into Three Days of National Mourning
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has urged people in eastern Valencia and Castellón to remain inside their houses and listen to the emergency orders. He stressed that the focus at the moment should be on minimising death toll as much as possible. The Prime Minister has announced three days of mourning to pay our tributes to the victims.
Missing Persons Search Still a Reality
On Thursday alone, over 1200 military men were engaged in search operations to help cheque buildings for survivors and to remove obstacles on the roads. Government ministers have urged people to brace for additional deaths because several people are reported missing. The heavy rain is also making it difficult for rescue workers on the ground to search the affected compounds.
Severe Weather Alert Issued
The weather department has called for more of the heavy rain to make a comeback. The rains are this destructive, that people have seen their vehicles carried away by the floods, yet the water is muddy. Some residents ran up to their rooftops; others were either drowned or bogged down in the floods as they tried to flee.
On microblogging site, Transport Minister Oscar Puente stated that hundreds of citizens are being relocated in a temporary shelter and thousands are affected through this transport road as well as railway networks. He said that it can take nearly three weeks to reestablish the high-speed line running through Madrid-Valencia.