Spain Mourns over Two Hundred Victims of Dana Flooding

“I express my closeness to those affected by the floods and, as far as environmental disasters are concerned, we pray for the people of the Iberian Peninsula, especially the Valencian community, for the dead and their loved ones,” Pope Francis said during the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square. “May the Lord sustain those who suffer and those who bring relief,” the Pope added, referring to the Dana flood that hit the Valencian community and killed 202 people. Three other people drowned in Castile-La Mancha and Andalusia, said the Joint Coordination Center, which is dealing with the flooding.

The search for missing people and the securing of homes, roads, and infrastructure continues with the same vigor. Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said another 500 soldiers joined about 1200 Emergency Unit soldiers on Friday, November 1, to help areas affected by the Dana flooding. “An additional 500 soldiers are already active in the area,” Robles told Spanish public radio and television station RTVE. A total of 1700 soldiers are involved, and the minister assured that “others will be added if necessary.” Robles said the army’s “main tasks are to help dig out people who may be in basements or first floors, remove vehicles, and help move and get food and drinking water.”