Spain flood death toll rises to 158 as rescuers search for survivors | Flood News

At least 155 deaths were recorded in the eastern Valencia region, two in Castile-La Mancha and one in Andalusia.

The death toll in Spain's worst floods in decades has risen to 158, according to emergency services and officials, as emergency services work desperately to find survivors.

The body responsible for coordinating rescue work in the eastern Valencia region announced on Thursday that 155 bodies had been recovered there. Officials in Castile-La Mancha in central Spain reported two deaths, and Andalusia in the south reported one.

The widespread damage was similar to the effects of a hurricane or tsunami. Cars piled on top of each other like toppled dominoes. Uprooted trees, downed power lines and household items were all submerged in the mud that covered the streets in dozens of communities in Valencia. The floods destroyed bridges and made roads unrecognizable.

Local authorities have not disclosed how many people are still missing, and Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the final death toll across the country could be much higher.

Opposition politicians accused the central government in Madrid of moving too slowly in warning residents and sending rescue teams, prompting the Interior Ministry to say regional authorities were responsible for civil protection measures.

Valencia Mayor Maria Jose Catala told reporters that a local police officer was among the eight dead found drowned in a garage in the suburb of La Torre. In the same area, a 45-year-old woman was also found dead in her house, she added.

“These people would not have died if they had been warned in time,” Laura Villaescusa, a neighbor and manager of a local supermarket, told Reuters.

Al Jazeera's Sonia Gallego, reporting from Valencia, said many residents told her they only received weather warnings after the floods.

“[They said] that they received no information, that they eventually received warnings, but after the flooding, they sounded on their phones,” she said.

“There is a feeling of frustration, also fear and the feeling that no one has come to help them. Entire districts are completely cut off from the rest of the city.”

Regional authorities said late Wednesday that no one appeared to be stranded on roofs or in cars in need of rescue after helicopters rescued about 70 people.

“Our priority is to find the victims and missing people so that we can help end the suffering of their families,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said after a meeting with regional officials and emergency services in Valencia on Thursday, the first of three official days of mourning.

Further north, heavy rain continued on Thursday as Spain's weather agency declared a red alert for several counties in Castellón in the eastern Valencia region and Tarragona in Catalonia. An orange warning has been issued for Cadiz in the southwest.

“This storm front is still with us,” the prime minister said. “Stay at home and follow the official advice and you will help save lives.”