The death toll from the devastating floods that have hit Spain’s eastern coast continues to rise, reaching 213. Most of these losses, 210, have been recorded in municipalities south of Valencia, while three more women have lost their lives in Castile-La Mancha and Andalusia, according to the latest information provided by the Valencia Region’s Emergency Centre. Today, King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit the affected areas, where 5,000 more soldiers have been sent, bringing the total to 7,500 soldiers actively involved in the search for the missing. In addition, 5,000 police officers and Civil Guards have been mobilised by the Ministry of the Interior.

Authorities report that electricity service has been restored to 94% of users, but around 7,000 people remain without electricity and many more without drinking water. Five days after the floods began, hopes of finding survivors among the missing are fading. Searches are focusing in particular on the parking lots of shopping centers and houses that were cut off by the fury of the mud. There are fears that dozens of people may be trapped in the parking lot of the Bonair shopping center in Aldaia, where operations have begun to pump out the water that has reached a height of four meters in the two underground floors.

Firefighters and members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) are using small boats to search for survivors among the submerged cars, in what could become a vast mud cemetery. Civil Protection has activated teams of psychologists to support the families of potential victims. In the area of ​​the Consum supermarket in Benetusser, operations are continuing with the hope of finding at least 20 people.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska clarified that the number of missing is not exact; in fact, calls to the emergency number 112 are mainly due to lack of communication with loved ones. The military and emergency services are focused on finding survivors and restoring damaged infrastructure to ensure that aid reaches the affected populations.

Traffic in the affected areas remains restricted to emergency vehicles and competent authorities. Due to the yellow alert issued for heavy rains forecast today by the state meteorological company Aemet, access is prohibited to volunteers in at least 11 municipalities affected by the floods. In addition, an orange alert has been issued along the coast of the province of Valencia for rainfall that could reach up to 150 liters per square meter in a 12-hour period.