Latest news Spain's royal couple visits flooded areas
Five days after the severe storms in the east and south of Spain, which left at least 213 people dead, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia plan to visit the disaster region around the Mediterranean metropolis of Valencia today. The royal family has not announced the schedule or the exact route. Spain's head of government Pedro Sánchez let it be known on Platform X that he would be traveling together with the royal couple.
03.11.2024, 11:21
SDA
In the towns to the west and south of Valencia, which were hit hardest by the floods on Tuesday, the three visitors are likely to be met with some resentment. In the first hours and days after the disaster, many of the devastated villages felt completely abandoned with cars and furniture piled up on the muddy streets and without drinking water, food, electricity or telecommunications.
Searching for missing persons in tunnels and underground garages
Many mayors resorted to self-help and organized first aid for their residents in villages that were often initially cut off from the road network. Support also came from volunteers who, equipped with donations and tools such as brooms, walked from the city of Valencia to the nearby villages.
It had not rained everywhere, but heavy downpours turned rivers into torrents that raced through the streets of many villages. Dozens of people are still missing, including in cars in flooded tunnels and underground garages. This is where the search is proving most difficult.
Almost 4000 soldiers are helping on the ground
In the meantime, the picture has changed: Almost 4000 soldiers are deployed alongside the rescue workers, with thousands more soldiers and police officers to be added, as Sánchez announced.
