Rescue teams drain underground garages in search for missing people in Valencia

Roughly 5,000 additional soldiers arrived from Madrid and other parts of Spain to assist in the search for missing people following last week’s deadly floods, nearly doubling the 4,500 who are already there. An additional 5,000 troops are still expected to arrive.

At least 214 bodies have so far been recovered, mostly in the eastern Valencia region, after Spain was hit by the deadliest natural disaster the country has seen in decades, where tsunami-like floods swept across the southeast.

Military units and firefighters joined forces to drain water and mud from underground garages, so that rescue teams can continue their search for bodies.

The parking lot of the Bonaire shopping centre, the biggest mall in Valencia, has a capacity of 5,700 parking spaces and was flooded with more than three meters of water.

Until now, emergency service workers and soldiers have entered the flooded lots, often continuing their search into the night, working with limited light, in kayaks or by foot with water up to their necks.

Emergency troops have so far rescued about 4,800 people and helped more than 30,000, according to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Citizens warned to stay at home

Feeling abandoned by the government, a wave of volunteers armed with buckets, shovels, and brooms took to the streets to join clean-up efforts.

However, an additional warning was sent out requesting people to stay at home and off the roads as more heavy rain is expected to hit the region.

The government has been under scrutiny for their lack of preparedness and management of the crisis.

The Valencia regional government only sent out flood warnings to mobile phones at 8pm on Tuesday, after flooding had already started in some places and the national weather agency issued a red alert indicating heavy rains.

Earlier on Sunday, a crowd of angry residents hurled mud at the Spanish King and Queen and government officials, who were visiting the city of Paiporta on the outskirts of Valencia, one of the worst-affected cities in the region.