The water level remains high, making recovery operations difficult. Divers attempted an inspection, but a meter and a half of mud obstructed visibility. Lieutenant Ume, spokesman for the army’s emergency unit, expressed frustration at the situation.
The work to rescue the missing in underground parking lots, such as the one at the Bonaire shopping center, is proving complex. This parking lot, which extends over 2,000 square meters and contains 1,800 parking spaces, has been transformed into a cemetery submerged by 200 million liters of water due to the flooding on Tuesday.
“We haven’t been able to gain access yet, we’re still vacuuming up the mud with heavy machinery,” says Lieutenant David Escribano. Pumps are operating to drain the water, but despite early progress in removing the mud, recent inspections have not identified any trapped vehicles or victims.
Sara Garcia, a 24-year-old student who works near the parking lot, recounts the dramatic event:
“It started raining on Tuesday afternoon and the parking lot was closed. Then the power went out and it was chaos.” Many took refuge in the multiplex cinema near the parking lot while others remained stuck in vehicles. The mayor of Aldaia, Guillermo Lujan, stressed that citizens feel outraged and abandoned: “Now is the time to recover the victims from the parking lots and clean up the streets.” His community has lost at least six people, but there are many more missing.
The bodies of at least two people were found in the parking lot of the Consum supermarket in Benetusser after draining 2.4 million liters of water and mud. According to local residents, up to twenty people may also be missing. A new red weather alert was issued in the afternoon, further worsening the situation in the south of the city. Three bodies, including an English couple and a Spaniard, were recovered on the beach of Pedralba. The search continues with the assistance of volunteers and law enforcement to find the missing among the debris.
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