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Spanish authorities are searching a flooded underground car park, fearing how many bodies they will find World news

Spanish authorities are searching a flooded underground car park, fearing how many bodies they will find World news

The history of these floods was full of dark, disturbing images.

Now there is one more – the Bonaire shopping center in Aldaia.

It was a terrible place today. Not because of the immense damage caused by the floods, but because of the horror that may lie ahead.

Emergency services are pumping out the underground parking lot that lies beneath this shopping complex, one of the largest in the country, and they don’t know what they will find there.

There will be bodies – that seems certain. The question is how much. And fears that it could be dozens.

You can see the ramps going down to the parking lot and you can also see the water level glistening near the ramp.

Pumping out this entire fleet will be a marathon job. Its search requires patience, special equipment and stoicism. Undoubtedly, there will be terrible discoveries.

Snorkeling teams were dispatched, but we were told they could not enter the water yet. It’s full of garbage, oil, diesel and God knows what else.

Today we saw a range of equipment being delivered – boats, pumps, military ambulance, kayaks and lifting equipment.

Emergency services personnel at the entrance to the parking lot. Photo: AP
image:
Emergency services personnel at the entrance to the parking lot. Photo: AP

A pump for pumping water from the parking lot can be seen on site. Photo: AP
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A pump for pumping water from the parking lot can be seen on site. Photo: AP

It takes a huge amount of resources at a time when so many cities complain that they feel left out.

Christina Vano, a forensic expert, works here as a volunteer, inspecting the cars scattered in the surface parking lots.

Her job is to look inside and see if she can see the body. If she can’t, she puts an X on the side with colored tape; if she can, she calls the police.

More details:
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Emergency works to remove water from one of the car park exits. Photo: Reuters
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Rescue workers are working to clear the parking lot of water. Photo: Reuters

She’s waiting for the first vehicles to roll out of Bonaire’s underground car park, and she’s ready for it to be a terrifying experience.

“There is room for 1,700 cars,” she says.

“We were told that it was not full, but of course there were many cars. The problem is that a lot of people have holed up there, so we don’t know what to expect.

“The police in Aldaya said we found maybe 80 people – I hope it will be less. It’s very sad, but we expect a lot.”

Kristina Vano works as a volunteer on the website
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Kristina Vano works as a volunteer on the site

We are speaking to the police who tell us that the search of the car park will be a long and complicated process.

They do not want to make any estimates about the number of cars or people involved. But someone involved in the operation talks to us after leaving.

“There are far more than a hundred cars,” the man says. – Maybe hundreds.

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There is an army intelligence officer who tells me that his Green Beret unit is ready to do whatever it takes. They have been helping to clear the shopping center for several days and will continue. But he knows that this is not a quick job.

On the other side, we see a group of firefighters slowly walking away from that damn ramp that leads to the parking lot. Their faces are painted, an expression we often see throughout the day as we watch this recovery mission.

Everyone involved knows that there is no chance of finding a survivor in this flooded parking lot. All they can do is hope that things are not as bad as they fear.