King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of visited the flood-hit area of Valencia, where have killed more than 200 people.
The royals, accompanied by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, visited Paiporta — one of the worst affected towns — and are due to move on to Chiva, another battered town close to Valencia,
Spain’s meteorological agency has issued a warning for heavy rain in the Valencia region, coinciding with Sunday’s royal visit.
More troops arrive to help with clean-up operations
Restoring order and distributing aid to devastated towns and villages is a priority. Some have been cut off from food, water, and electricity since Tuesday’s torrent.
So far, authorities have recovered 217 bodies, with 213 of them in the eastern Valencia region. Dozens of people are still missing, including in cars in flooded tunnels and underground garages.
On Sunday, the search continued with the help of some 4,000 who arrived overnight. An additional 1,000 troops were expected to arrive on Sunday.
Volunteers assist in clearing debris
Many mayors resorted to self-help, organizing first aid for their residents in villages that were often initially cut off from the road network.
Support also came from thousands of volunteers who walked from the city of Valencia to nearby villages carrying donations and clean-up tools. They helped clear the thick layers of mud and debris that still covered homes, streets, and roads.
On Sunday, the Valencian government limited the number of volunteers allowed to travel to the city’s southern suburbs to 2,000 and restricted access to 12 localities.
What happened in Valencia?
The storms were centered over the Magro and Turia river basins, creating walls of water in the Poyo riverbed. These walls of water overflowed the riverbanks and caught people off guard as they went about their daily lives on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday.
In towns and villages on the southern outskirts of Valencia, muddy water quickly covered roads and railroads and entered homes and businesses. Drivers were forced to take shelter on car roofs as residents sought higher ground.
Spain’s national weather service said the hard-hit town of Chiva had received more rain in eight hours than in the previous 20 months, describing the deluge as “extraordinary.”
dh/lo (AP, AFP, dpa)
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