Most of the deaths are concentrated in the Valencia region, and the local government has been the target of protests and criticism for its poor response to the disaster. Spanish authorities this Sunday (10/11) increased the provisional number of confirmed victims due to heavy rains in late October, which mainly punished Valencia, to 222. Disaster.
Streets destroyed by floods in Spain
Photo: DW / Deutsche Welle
In this region of eastern Spain alone, a total of 214 deaths have been reported. Other victims include seven people killed in the border region of Castile-La Mancha (center) and one more in Andalusia (southern).
Of these, 195 bodies have already been identified, and 140 have been handed over to their families.
Additionally, the latest official data on the impact of the massive storm and severe flooding on October 29 showed 36,803 people had to be rescued from dangerous situations.
A total of 78 municipalities are affected, of which 75 are in Valencia, 2 in Castile-La Mancha and 1 in Andalusia.
In addition to personal damage, natural disasters cause millions of dollars in material damage to all types of private property (houses, cars, businesses, farms) and public infrastructure and services (roads, railways, telephones and energy supplies). It is being restored little by little.
The 156,126 claims filed with the Insurance Compensation Consortium give an idea of the extent of the impact of the tragedy. Of these, 50,679 are homes and 92,779 are vehicles.
Since the crisis began, 343 people have been arrested for looting and other crimes.
demonstration
Thousands of protesters on Saturday demanded the resignation of the governor of the autonomous region of Valencia, Carlos Mazón, and his second-in-command, Susana Camarero, accusing the regional government of being too slow to respond to the disaster that has struck the region. .
Prime Minister Susana Camarero told a news conference on the state of civil defense that the fall of the government was “not an option” and that the goal was to work toward recovery and rebuilding of devastated areas.
Carlos Mazón (PP, centre-right) said he respected Saturday’s protests, shared “this pain” and regretted the disturbance and acts of vandalism.
Also this Sunday, the national PP expressed its support in Madrid for the regional administration, which “has always defended itself” against the central government (PSOE, centre-left). In recent years, a ‘national state of emergency’ has been announced in Spain.
Last Saturday, 130,000 people gathered in Valencia to challenge the regional government’s response to managing the crisis, which Susanna Cammarero said she understood.
“I regret that the suffering of those affected is being politicized. “It pains us as a government that after peaceful protests that showed such suffering, violent groups have created disturbances and vandalism that distorts their purpose.” “This is a message of pain and protest over this disaster,” he emphasized, accusing the central government of trying to shift responsibility for the response to local governments.
Jps(EFE, Rusa, ots)
