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| Spain floods death toll passes 150 as country begins three days of mourning | |
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| People urged to stay at home as more bad weather forecast, with number of dead expected to rise further | People urged to stay at home as more bad weather forecast, with number of dead expected to rise further |
| The death toll from devastating floods in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia has risen to 155, authorities have said, as the country began three days of mourning and the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, urged people to stay at home. | The death toll from devastating floods in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia has risen to 155, authorities have said, as the country began three days of mourning and the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, urged people to stay at home. |
| With forecasts of more bad weather prompting storm alerts farther north, Sánchez urged residents on Thursday to “please, follow the calls of the emergency services … Right now the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible.” | With forecasts of more bad weather prompting storm alerts farther north, Sánchez urged residents on Thursday to “please, follow the calls of the emergency services … Right now the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible.” |
| Local authorities have not disclosed how many people are still unaccounted for after Spain’s deadliest floods in half a century, but the defence minister, Margarita Robles, had said earlier that the death toll was expected to rise. | Local authorities have not disclosed how many people are still unaccounted for after Spain’s deadliest floods in half a century, but the defence minister, Margarita Robles, had said earlier that the death toll was expected to rise. |
| Flags flew at half-mast on government buildings and a minute of silence was observed nationwide after the floods battered Valencia’s infrastructure, sweeping away bridges, roads and railway tracks and submerging farmland. | Flags flew at half-mast on government buildings and a minute of silence was observed nationwide after the floods battered Valencia’s infrastructure, sweeping away bridges, roads and railway tracks and submerging farmland. |
| Emergency service workers together with more than 1,200 troops combed thick silt in mud-caked towns and villages to find survivors and clear roads of debris, while rescuers used helicopters to winch survivors to safety in areas that were still flooded. | Emergency service workers together with more than 1,200 troops combed thick silt in mud-caked towns and villages to find survivors and clear roads of debris, while rescuers used helicopters to winch survivors to safety in areas that were still flooded. |
| Meteorologists said a year’s worth of rain had fallen in eight hours in parts of Valencia on Tuesday. Television footage showed diggers and tractors fitted with water pumps clearing debris from streets piled high with abandoned cars and vans. | Meteorologists said a year’s worth of rain had fallen in eight hours in parts of Valencia on Tuesday. Television footage showed diggers and tractors fitted with water pumps clearing debris from streets piled high with abandoned cars and vans. |
| King Felipe VI warned the emergency was “still not over”, and the national weather service, Aemet, put parts of the Valencia region on the highest alert level for more torrential rain on Thursday. | King Felipe VI warned the emergency was “still not over”, and the national weather service, Aemet, put parts of the Valencia region on the highest alert level for more torrential rain on Thursday. |
| Opposition politicians accused the central government of acting too slowly to warn residents to evacuate and send in rescue teams, prompting Spain’s interior ministry to say regional authorities were responsible for civil protection measures. | Opposition politicians accused the central government of acting too slowly to warn residents to evacuate and send in rescue teams, prompting Spain’s interior ministry to say regional authorities were responsible for civil protection measures. |
| The Valencia regional president, Carlos Mazón, defended his administration’s management of the crisis. “All our supervisors followed the standard protocol,” he said. | The Valencia regional president, Carlos Mazón, defended his administration’s management of the crisis. “All our supervisors followed the standard protocol,” he said. |
| Reuters and Agence-France Presse contributed to this report | Reuters and Agence-France Presse contributed to this report |