Death toll in Spanish floods rises to 217, thousands without electricity

(Patria) - The death toll from catastrophic floods in Spain has risen to 217, with dozens of people still missing, Spanish authorities announced today.

Previously, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that 211 people had died in the floods that hit Spain this week.

Around 3,000 households are still without electricity, officials said, Reuters reported.

Sánchez announced that an additional 5,000 soldiers will be sent to the flood-affected areas.

The Spanish Prime Minister emphasized that Spain is facing "the worst floods of this century" and appealed for unity to overcome the severe consequences.

He announced that it will be investigated whether human negligence contributed to the catastrophic consequences of the floods.

Thousands of volunteers are also participating in the search operation.

Residents of the flood-affected areas accuse the authorities of sending the flood warning two hours late via mobile phone messages, and that there was no timely reaction to clearing the consequences of the floods.

The death toll from the floods in Spain this week is the highest in Europe since 1967, when at least 500 people died in floods in Portugal.