Spain deploys 7,500 troops to flood zone where anger rises at slow help

Spain is deploying 7,500 troops to its eastern region hit by devastating floods, the government said on Monday in the face of rising discontent over the response to the catastrophe that has killed at least 217 people.

The army sent about 5,000 soldiers over the weekend to help distribute food and water, clean up streets and protect shops and properties from looters. Another 2,500 would join them, defence minister Margarita Robles told state-owned radio RNE.

A warship carrying 104 marine infantry soldiers and trucks with food and water was approaching Valencia port as a strong hailstorm pummelled Barcelona, 300km to the north.

Rescue teams on Monday were searching for bodies in underground garages, including a 5,000-car park at Bonaire shopping mall near Valencia airport, as well as river mouths where currents may have deposited bodies.

Fatalities from Spain's worst flash floods in modern history edged higher to 217 on Sunday, almost all of them in the Valencia region and more than 60 in the suburb of Paiporta.

Local residents' anger was focused on late alerts from authorities about the dangers of flooding and a perceived delayed response by emergency services.

On Sunday, some residents in Paiporta threw mud at Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and King Felipe and his wife Queen Letizia, chanting “Murderers, murderers".

Transport minister Oscar Puente said on Sunday the death toll had stabilised because all victims on the surface had been identified.

The torrential rains on Tuesday and Wednesday last week caused rivers to swell, engulfing streets and the ground floors of buildings, and sweeping away cars and pieces of masonry in tides of mud. It was the worst flood-related disaster in Europe in five decades

Though rainfalls continued during the rest of the week, there has been no more major flooding in the area. The weather agency issued a warning on Monday morning for Barcelona as hailstorms and heavy rains hit Spain's second largest city.

Some of Sunday's protesters wore clothing with the symbols of far-right organisations that often stage protests against the leftist government. Robles said extremist groups were taking advantage of the situation for political gains.

Reuters