Faced with the devastating floods that affected the southeast of Spain, France has no certainty about the fate of its citizens. “We are still worried, waiting for confirmation. We have not had any tragic news at the moment, but unfortunately we cannot rule it out,” said Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, on BFMTV-RMC this Thursday. October 31.
In which it is specified that “4,000 French people live in the region of Valencia”, where at least 92 people have died, according to the latest report from the Spanish authorities, out of a total of 95 deaths in the entire southeast of Spain. Regarding these nationals, “our embassy and our consulate are fully mobilized to answer all questions and provide them with assistance when possible,” adds the minister.
250 French firefighters “are ready”
In France, for the relatives of the latter, a “crisis and support center, attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with the embassy and the consulate, guarantees that all answers can be given.”
Furthermore, Jean-Noël Barrot recalls that France has offered help to the Iberian country and announces that 250 French firefighters “are willing to intervene as soon as Spain accepts this offer.”
Three days of national mourning in Spain
In addition to the 92 deaths in Valencia, two more were recorded in neighboring Castilla-La Mancha and a third in Andalusia. The current toll, the highest since the floods that left 300 dead in the country in October 1973, “will increase” because there are still “many missing,” warned the Spanish Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, on Wednesday afternoon.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who has declared three days of national mourning, will travel at 10:30 a.m. (09:30 GMT) to Valencia, where he will visit the Rescue Coordination Center (Cecopi).
In a brief televised speech on Wednesday, the socialist leader assured that the Government will not leave the victims “alone”, while asking the inhabitants of the region to remain vigilant.
According to emergency services, at dawn on Thursday thousands of people were still without electricity in the Valencia region. Many roads also remain closed, while countless car accidents litter the roads, covered in mud and debris.
Source: BFM TV