Spain Deploys 7,500 Troops to Flood-Ravaged Eastern Region

In response to the devastating floods sweeping across eastern Spain, the Spanish government announced on Monday that it is deploying an additional 7,500 soldiers to assist in disaster relief efforts. 

The death toll from the catastrophic floods has climbed to at least 217, sparking widespread frustration over the government's response.

Initially, approximately 5,000 military personnel were sent earlier this week to help distribute food and water, clear streets, and safeguard shops and properties from looters, according to the defense ministry. 

Defense Minister Margarita Robles Fernández, speaking to the state-owned RNE radio, confirmed that an additional 2,500 troops would join the efforts, as reported by Reuters.

A naval vessel carrying 104 marines, along with trucks loaded with supplies, is nearing the Port of Valencia. This deployment coincides with a severe hailstorm that struck Barcelona, located 300 kilometers north of the flood zone.

On Monday, rescue teams continued their grim search for bodies in underground garages, including a parking lot with a capacity for 5,000 vehicles at the BonAire shopping center near Valencia Airport, and along river estuaries where bodies might have been swept away.

Most fatalities occurred in the Valencia region, with over 60 deaths reported in the suburb of Bayport alone. Local residents have voiced their anger over delayed flood warnings and what they perceive as sluggish emergency response services.

On Sunday, some residents of Bayport hurled mud at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and King Felipe and Queen Letizia, shouting accusations of "murderers" during their visit.

The heavy rains on Tuesday and Wednesday caused rivers to overflow, inundating streets, flooding ground floors of buildings, and sweeping away cars in what is being described as the worst flood-related disaster in Europe in five decades.