Drenched Spain is now fighting looters after apocalyptic floods soaked the country, with officials fearing hundreds of bodies could be found as the agonizing recovery process begins.
Cops have arrested 39 people who were allegedly trying to take advantage of the horrendous conditions and steal, with officers sent to patrol shopping centers where looters were targeting electronics like cellphones and computers.
The devastating rainstorms that started on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday have caused widespread flooding, stretching from Malaga to Valencia. So far, officials have confirmed 105 dead, with hundreds more bodies expected to be found as search and rescue teams go door-to-door through the thick mud that has covered homes and streets.
Four victims were found Thursday morning in a garage, while others were discovered inside cars when they were unable to flee the rising waters. Rescue efforts are ongoing, with over 1,000 soldiers deployed to the worst-affected areas.
The cleanup could be stymied, however, as a number of weather warnings threaten to bring more heavy rain to the region in the coming days. The Castellon coast and parts of the interior have an extreme risk red warning in place, with forecasts of up to 180mm of rain over a five-hour period.
Spain’s Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, said she is “not optimistic” about how high the death toll could climb, and the number of missing people is still unknown. The Foreign Office has warned holidaymakers to brace for chaos, with journeys potentially affected by the flooding.
One of the dead was a 71-year-old British man who suffered a heart attack after being rescued from his home in the outskirts of Malaga. The region of Valencia has been hit the hardest, with 92 of the 95 deaths recorded so far.
As the nation grapples with the catastrophic aftermath of the floods, authorities are also working to crack down on looters trying to take advantage of the chaos. The cleanup and recovery efforts face ongoing challenges, with the threat of further rainfall looming over the already devastated communities.
