Spanish authorities deploy 500 members of the Army in Valencia for rescue actions

Published at: 01/11/2024 11:02 PM

Spanish authorities announced this Friday, November 1st, the incorporation of 500 members of the Army in different parts of the Valencian Community to deal with the consequences of the rains caused by the recent passage of DANA in the province of Valencia.

The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, explained that 300 soldiers from the Army, 100 from the Air Force and 100 from the Navy have already been working since 08:00 (local time) in the Valencian Community and will soon be joining “those who are needed, without any kind of limitation of means”.

“There are places where there are vehicles that are on top of each other, with people, families, that may be inside,” said Robles, who said that the magnitude of the catastrophe cannot yet be quantified, reported the Telesur website.

The Army's missions include helping to dig up people who may be in basements or on ground floors, helping to reduce water in many places and opening roads to allow transportation to ensure that food and water can reach certain populations that are absolutely isolated.

One of the zero zones is the community of Chiva, which recorded the record for rainfall during DANA and since Tuesday its inhabitants have lacked electricity, water and telephone communications. Its inhabitants face the recovery and the estimate of the number of victims that exceeds 200 people and dozens of missing persons.

For his part, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, expressed the decision after participating in the meeting of the Integrated Operational Coordination Center (CECOPI) of the Valencian Community in collaboration with the President of the Government of Catalonia, Carlos Mazón.

Grande-Marlaska, insisted on requesting that the mobility of individuals be circumscribed so as not to hinder the work of the military.

He stressed that State civil servants are prepared if their support is needed, and assured that the Civil Guard rescued at least 4,500 affected people.

So far, the Spanish government puts the death toll at 205. Of these, 202 in the province of Valencia, and the remaining three were registered in the communities of Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia. Meanwhile, there are dozens of missing persons.

Mazo News Team