Storms in Spain
Many deaths feared in flooded underground car parks
The devastating flood disaster could have claimed many more lives than is currently known. Rescue workers are searching for missing people in underground car parks that were flooded with water in a very short space of time.
Extreme rainfall hit the east and south of Spain on Tuesday last week. In some places, it rained as much as it usually does in a whole year. According to the authorities, 217 people had died by Sunday, 213 of them in the Valencia region. Three people died in Castilla-La Mancha and one death was reported in Andalusia.
Places on the surface searched first
However, the authorities are expecting many more fatalities. Transport Minister Oscar Puente said that the rescue teams had first searched the more accessible places on the surface. However, there are still many flooded ground floors, basements and underground garages that have not yet been searched. It can be assumed "that there are still dead bodies there".
The flooded garage entrance of a shopping center in Aldaia is shown here - many people are still feared dead there:
Thousands of parking spaces under shopping center still under water
The situation is particularly dramatic in the parking garage of the Bonaire shopping center in Aldaia, a town with 31,000 inhabitants outside Valencia. Almost half of the 5,700 parking spaces are in the basement, which is still completely under water six days after the flood.
Mayor fears "terrible things"
"We don't know what we will find", said Aldaia's mayor Guillermo Luján on TVE. But he fears "terrible things". Over the past few days, rescue workers and soldiers have installed numerous pumps to pump the water out of the underground car park. Divers have also been deployed, but have not yet discovered any bodies.
Renewed heavy rainfall in the Valencia region
The Spanish weather service also warned of further heavy rainfall in the flood area. Parts of the Valencia region were once again on red alert on Sunday evening. On Monday, the warning level was lowered to orange.
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