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.”
Officials in the stricken eastern region of Valencia said 155 bodies had been recovered there, with three deaths also reported from the Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia regions. The toll makes the disaster the deadliest episode of flooding in Spain’s modern history.
Authorities have not disclosed how many people are still unaccounted for but the defence minister, Margarita Robles, earlier said the death toll was expected to rise further given some areas remain inaccessible to rescuers.
Flags flew at half-mast on government buildings and a minute of silence was observed nationwide after the flash floods battered Valencia’s infrastructure, sweeping away bridges, roads and railway tracks and submerging
