Spain's prime minister has ordered 5,000 more troops and 5,000 police officers and civil guards to the Valencia region as residents criticise local authorities over their response to catastrophic flooding,
BBC reports.
Pedro Sánchez said 211 people have been confirmed dead, with the toll expected to rise further.
Heavy rains that began on Monday caused floods that destroyed bridges and covered towns with mud, cutting off communities and leaving them without water, food or electricity.
Sánchez said the deployment was Spain's largest in peacetime, in response to one of the worst floods in Europe this century.
The prime minister said he was aware "the response that is being given is not enough" and acknowledged "severe problems and shortages".
He said there are still "desperate people searching for their relatives. People who cannot access their homes. Homes destroyed and buried by mud. I know we have to do better."
Weather warnings remain in force in north-eastern and southern Spain through Sunday, while another was issued in the Balearic Islands for Saturday.
Around 1,700 soldiers are already working on search and rescue operations in the Valencia region, although hope of finding more survivors is dwindling.
Part of the focus is on pumping water out of underground tunnels and car parks, where it is feared people were trapped as water surged in.
Paco Polit, a journalist in Valencia, told the BBC the new troops would bring in much needed heavy machinery, bulldozers, trucks, and help to improve the speed and organisation of the rescue efforts.
