At least 158 people have been killed in Spain’s deadliest floods since 1973.
Severe flash floods hit large parts of the country’s southern and eastern regions on Tuesday.
Several people are feared missing or trapped as continue rescue efforts. Authorities have warned the death toll is expected to rise.
Extreme weather is expected to continue for most of the week. Spain’s national meteorology body has urged residents not to “be complacent,” warning that the “emergency is not over”.
Flooding
On Tuesday, a year’s worth of rain fell on Spain’s eastern region of Valencia in eight hours.
Hundreds of homes have been damaged, cars are piled up in the streets, and farms are underwater. Valencia produces most of Spain’s citrus, a key export.
Meteorology body AEMET said that while the worst of the storm passed on Tuesday, “adverse phenomena will continue to occur throughout the week.”
Rescue efforts
The current crisis is Spain’s deadliest flooding event in over 50 years, after flooding in 1973 killed 250 people.
The Government has established a new crisis committee with both local and federal authorities, saying it wants to ensure “absolute collaboration”
More than 1,000 military personnel and nearly 2,000 federal police have been deployed.
They’re expected to deliver aid to the worst-hit regions around Valencia and continue searching for survivors.
Government
The Spanish Government has declared a national mourning period of three days.
Angel Victor Torres, minister in charge of cooperation with Spain’s regions, said “dozens and dozens” of people are missing in floodwaters.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain will not “leave the Valencians alone” in this crisis and has promised to use “all possible resources and means.”
