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Spanish officials confirm 89 people remain missing following floods

Officials in Spain confirm 89 people are missing as aid continues to be delievered
Officials in Spain confirm 89 people are missing as aid continues to be delievered

Authorities in Spain's Valencia region said 89 people are still missing following last week's flash floods.

Regional judicial authorities in Valencia confirmed the number based on analysis by police and forensic investigators.

Their estimate was the first time a provisional figure had been put on an unknown number of people yet to be accounted for following the deluge.

An aid package worth €10.6 billion was announched by Spain to rebuild regions devastated by its worst floods in a generation that have killed 219 people.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced a series of measures including aid to small businesses, self-employed workers and households that have suffered deaths, incapacity and damage to homes and belongings.

Watch: Cleaning continues in Valencia region after deadly floods

Tax relief and a three-month postponement to repaying mortgages and loans were also among the announcements, which Mr Sanchez likened to the state's intervention during the Covid-19 pandemic to protect the economy and livelihoods.

Drone footage of Paiporta shows the extent of the flooding

The government will take on all emergency spending by local councils linked to clearing mud, debris and ruined property and restoring drinking water.

Mr Sanchez said Spain has also requested aid from the EU solidarity fund.

Residential buildings and riverbeds in Chiva were destroyed in the floods

Security forces and emergency services personnel are working around the clock to repair damaged infrastructure, distribute aid and search for bodies in Spain's largest peacetime deployment of its armed forces.

Mr Sanchez said almost 15,000 troops, police officers and civil guards were in the eastern Valencia region that has suffered most of the deaths and destruction.

Firefighters searched through piles of damaged vehicles and pumped water from inundated garages and car parks where more victims may be discovered.

Volunteers distribute water in a Spanish Red Cross centre in Aldaia, west of Valencia

Two Chinese citizens, two Romanians and an Ecuadorian are among the dead, authorities in those countries have said.

The floods also claimed three British victims, UK media reported.