Emergency services in Spain are still working to locate hundreds of people who have gone missing as a result of the greatest flooding disaster in generations.
More than 200 people have died, with the majority of them in the Valencia region, but the death toll is anticipated to grow further.
Floods wrecked bridges and submerged villages in muck, cutting off populations from water, food, and electricity.
Some residents believe more lives may have been saved if local officials had acted faster to warn of the flood risk.
The civil protection agency, which is overseen by the regional government, said it sent an emergency alert to people’s phones in and around Valencia after 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Tuesday, when flood water was rapidly rising in many areas and wreaking havoc in some cases.
Thousands of volunteers are currently helping the Spanish military and emergency services with the rescue and clean-up operation, and Valencia’s regional president, Carlos Mazon, said more troops would be deployed.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed his appreciation to volunteers, calling them an “example of solidarity and the limitless dedication of Spanish society.”
He has vowed that his government will do whatever it takes to help those affected by the disaster.
In the devastated town of Paiporta, where more than 60 deaths have so far been reported, residents have expressed their frustration that aid is coming in too slowly.
Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities have extended a red alert for torrential rain on the southern coast.
It includes the Huelva region, which has already been severely impacted by rainfall. Cartaya received over two months’ worth of rain in just 10 hours.
There are warnings of more severe rainfall until Saturday.
One of the contributing factors to the tragedy was a lack of rainfall throughout the remainder of the year, which rendered the earth in many areas of eastern and southern Spain incapable of absorbing rainwater properly.
Warming temperatures are also thought to have contributed to the severity of the floods.
