The visit on Sunday, November 3, of King Felipe VI of Spain and Queen Letizia to the site of the floods that left at least 217 dead in the southeast of the country has been suspended, national television announced.
This decision was made after the scenes of chaos, close to riots, that took place during the first stage of this visit, in Paiporta, near Valencia (east), one of the cities most distressed by the tragedy. The sovereigns were received with cries of“Murderers!” » and throwing mud. They tried to talk to the victims and calm their anger for about an hour before leaving. Normally your visit would continue in Chiva, another town near Valencia very affected by the floods.
In fact, the hostility was directed against the president of the socialist Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the conservative president of the Valencian Community, Carlos Mazón. The latter quickly left the place, evacuated by the protection services. “Mazon resigns!” », “How many deaths?” »shouted the crowd, who accused the authorities of having sent a late telephone alert message to residents on Tuesday, while the meteorological services had put the region on red alert in the morning.
On Saturday, Carlos Mazón announced a battery of economic aid and promised the return of order, while acts of looting were reported in several businesses, which led to the arrest of 82 people. “There are people who may have felt alone, helpless, unprotected”the elected official acknowledged. But “we will help all homes” those who need it, he said. “We are facing the challenge of our lives and we are going to find the solutions. »
car accidents
In total, 213 people died in the Valencian Community alone, three in Castilla-la-Mancha, where the body of a sixty-year-old woman who disappeared on Tuesday was discovered on Sunday morning, and one in Andalusia.
Authorities expect the number of victims to rise further as they methodically examine damaged vehicles accumulated in tunnels and underground parking lots in the worst affected areas. “There are still flooded ground floors or garages, basements and parking lots to be cleaned and it is foreseeable that there will be deaths in these spaces”declared the Minister of Transportation, Oscar Puente. According to him, the number of victims has changed relatively little in the last forty-eight hours because the emergency services explored for the first time “more accessible areas”.
The visit of Felipe VI and Pedro Sánchez occurs when the Spanish Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has issued a new orange alert for heavy rains in the Valencian Community, particularly in the Valencian conurbation and in the province of Castellón, where 100 liters are exhausted of water per square. Occasionally meters (i.e. 10 cm) may fall.
A red alert has also been issued for the province of Almería, in Andalusia (south), due to “torrential rains” likely to cause flooding, according to Aemet, which recommends that residents only move in case of “strict necessity”.
A chaotic situation
On Saturday, Pedro Sánchez announced the sending of 5,000 additional soldiers to help the victims and participate in the search for the missing, bringing their total strength to 7,500, that is, the “The largest deployment of armed forces ever carried out in Spain in peacetime”according to him. These soldiers will be joined by 5,000 police and civil guards in charge of supporting their 5,000 colleagues who are already on the ground, reinforcements that are impatiently awaited in some towns that are facing a chaotic situation.
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While the chances of finding survivors are diminishing, the priority for aid remains the search for the missing, with the restoration of roads and infrastructure to allow the delivery of aid and the restoration of essential services. According to authorities, more than 2,000 damaged cars and trucks have already been removed. Electricity has also been restored to 94% of residents who had been deprived of it.
According to Aemet, in certain locations the equivalent “from a year of rainfall” in a few hours. This deluge is related to a “cold drop” phenomenon, an isolated depression at high altitudes that causes sudden and extremely violent rains that sometimes last for several days. This meteorological phenomenon, quite common in autumn on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, is probably aggravated by global warming, according to scientists.
