205 people have been confirmed dead in the floods in Spain, the rescue service reports on Friday. 202 of them in the region of Valencia, a significant increase in the previous death toll.
Valencia is facing a war scenario as the region counts its dead, writes the newspaper El Mundo.
500 soldiers are being deployed on Friday, and in addition, 1,200 from UME (Unidad Militar de Emergencia), a branch within the defense forces created for major emergencies. Thousands of volunteers who have organized themselves through social media are heading to the 19 communities in Valencia that have been affected by the floods, writes El País.
Many are missing
Survivors are mourning their loved ones who have perished in Spain's deadliest disaster in many generations. Soldiers are searching for an unknown number of people who are still missing. Many are feared to be trapped in wrecked vehicles or flooded garages.
I have lived there my whole life, all my memories are there, my parents lived there ... and now in one night, everything is gone, says Jean Vicente Pérez to AP near the site where his now destroyed home was.
If we had waited five minutes longer, we wouldn't be in this world.
Many places still lack electricity, running water, and stable phone connections, three days after the water masses swept in.
More rain is coming
But more storms are expected. The Spanish weather agency has issued warnings for further heavy rainfall in Tarragona, Catalonia, and parts of the Balearic Islands.
Singer Mari Ángeles arrived on Thursday in her hometown of Letur. She says she felt helpless when she wasn't on site.
When you come here, reality surpasses fiction. When you see your town like this, it's very hard not to break down, she says to El Mundo and adds that the most important thing now is to find those who are missing.
In a small town, we are all families. What happens to one happens to all, she says.
Valencia's regional leader Carlos Mazón has promised 250 million euros, approximately 2.9 billion kronor, in direct aid to those affected and has asked the military for help to strengthen the distribution of aid to those affected.
