The death toll from catastrophic flash flooding in Spain has surged to at least 207, with authorities fearing more bodies may be trapped in the devastation. New weather warnings for rain have heightened concerns over further flooding.
Spain’s Interior Minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, confirmed to radio station Hora 25 that “there are 207 confirmed victims,” adding that “it is impossible to know the number of missing people.”
Around 500 soldiers have been deployed to aid in the search for those still missing and to support storm survivors, as officials brace for continued rain in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, and Valencia over the weekend.
Authorities expect the death toll to climb in what has become Spain’s deadliest flood disaster in modern times and Europe’s worst since the 1970s. The majority of fatalities have occurred in Valencia, the hardest-hit eastern region.
Emergency responders, cautiously removing vehicles piled at the entrance of a flooded underpass in the suburbs, fear discovering more bodies. “We’re removing vehicles bit by bit to see if there are victims,” one rescue worker said on state television, adding, “We don’t know.”