Spain flood death toll rises to 217 as work continues to clear mud-soaked streets

The number of dead from catastrophic floods The death toll in Valencia, Spain, has reached 217, officials announced Sunday, as the search for survivors – and bodies – continues in devastated cities and towns left in mud and debris.

“The situation we live in is tragic,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in Spanish during a televised address on Saturday, describing the discovery of bodies in garages, houses, riverbanks and roads. “We are almost certainly talking about the most serious flood our continent has seen this century. And I realize that the answer that is given is not enough.”

Sanchez said the government was sending 10,000 soldiers and police to the eastern region of Valencia, about 200 miles east of Madrid, to help local authorities.

PHOTO: More than 200 people died after the flood in Spain — VALENCIA, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 2: A woman walks down a street full of dirt and waste from houses after heavy rain and flooding hit much of the country on November 2, 2024 in the municipality of Payporta, Valencia, Spain. By Friday, Spanish authorities had confirmed that at least 200 people had died, mostly in the Valencia region, amid flooding that has swept the eastern and southern parts of the country since Tuesday. A heavy precipitation event is known as a “cold drop” or DANA weather system. (Photo by Pablo Blasquez Dominguez/Getty Images)

Pablo Blasquez Dominguez/Getty Images

“We have activated the largest deployment that has already carried out 4,800 rescue operations and helped more than 30,000 people in flooded homes, roads and industrial areas,” Sanchez said. “Unfortunately, the scale of the disaster means they are not enough.”

PHOTOS: At least 211 dead, territories still isolated after worst natural disaster in recent Spanish history — VALENCIA, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 2: A view from the disaster area as search and rescue operations continue and aid distribution continues for 1,900 missing people in the flooded town of Paiporta on November 2, 2024 in Valencia, Spain. In addition to the human tragedy, the damage to infrastructure in the area is severe. Railway lines, bridges, tunnels, parts of major highways and kilometers of roads were destroyed. Mountains of cars and garbage remain scattered across cities and landscapes. Industrial areas, shopping centers and houses were also destroyed. (Photo by Pablo Miranzo/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Anadolu via Getty Images

Videos produced by volunteer crews showed the streets of the city of Valencia covered in layers of mud and littered with wrecked cars, broken furniture and rubbish.

PHOTO: SPAIN-FLOOD — The Civil Guard and members of the military’s emergency unit, UME, help with search and rescue efforts on Nov. 2, 2024, after deadly flooding in the town of Benetusser, Valencia region, eastern Spain. Spain will deploy an additional 10,000 soldiers and police to the eastern region of Valencia, which has been hit by floods that have killed 211 people, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said. (Photo by Manaure Quintero/AFP) (Photo by Manaure Quintero/AFP via Getty Images)

Manaure Quintero/AFP via Getty Images

The Civil Guard, one of Spain’s national law enforcement agencies, shared videos and photos on social networks rescuers at night, guided by lights directed by unmanned aerial vehicles, wade through almost shoulder-high water and search for overturned cars.

Devastating flooding began Tuesday amid heavy rain in southeastern Spain, quickly engulfing streets and trapping people in cars and businesses. According to the State Meteorological Agency, the region of Valencia was inundated with the equivalent of a year’s rainfall in just eight hours.

Carlos Mason, President of the Valencia Region, it said in a statement in Spanish on Saturday that 69 municipalities throughout the region were completely or partially affected by flooding.

“We have all seen collapsed bridges, collapsed roads, washed out railroad tracks and streets in our cities filled with mud, piled up with cars and furniture,” he said.

Asked about the government’s response to the disaster, he added: “We are going through the worst moment in our history on our land. A moment of magnitude that no one could imagine. We are facing the challenge of our lives, and we are going to solve it together.”

On Sunday, Spain’s King Felipe VI was confronted by many angry residents, some of whom threw mud at him and were heard shouting “murderers”, while visiting a city devastated by catastrophic flooding.