The French Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, explained that the Spanish government thanked France for its offer assistance to around 250 firefighters in the rescue efforts after the damage caused by DANA, but this You won’t need it “for now”.
The government of Emmanuel Macron proposed up to 250 firefighters to take part in relief operations after the floods which affected the Spanish regions of the Valencian Community, Castile-La Mancha and Andalusia, “ready to intervene as soon as Spain accepts it”according to what the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, declared in the morning.
But, in statements to the press on Wednesday afternoon, Retailleau stressed that Spain did not consider the aid necessary proposed by France.
The French minister explained that he had spoken with his Spanish counterpart, Fernando Grande.Marlaškato propose sending more than 200 firefighters “with all the equipment” and “at any time”.
The Spanish minister thanked him for this offer, but told him that “for the moment, this is not necessary”because “They have their own means and the army is mobilized.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs recalled that certain 4,000 French people live in the Valencian Community region and insisted that they work as a priority for the safety of their fellow citizens.
Barrot stressed that the French embassy and consulates in Spain “are mobilized” in the face of “an extremely complex situation”.
In Spain, the emergency services, to which this Friday 500 more soldiers joined (300 from the Army, 100 from the Air and 100 from the Navy), are working hard to search for those still missing and are also dedicated to opening roads to facilitate access and distribute basic aid.
In the afternoon Military forces will be reinforced in the most affected provinces with 250 additional soldiersso at the end of the day, approximately 2,000 troops will be deployed and working on debris removal, rescue and distribution of supplies.