The deadliest floods in Spain’s modern history have killed at least 211 people and left dozens unaccounted for, four days after torrential rains swept through the eastern region of Valencia, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Saturday.

In a televised statement, Sanchez said the government was sending an additional 5,000 troops to help with the search and cleanup, in addition to the 2,500 troops already deployed.

“It is the biggest peacetime operation of the armed forces in Spain,” Sanchez said. “The government will mobilize all necessary resources as long as they are needed.”

The tragedy is already Europe’s worst flood-related disaster since 1967, when at least 500 people died in Portugal.

Hopes of finding survivors were boosted when rescuers found a woman alive after three days trapped in a car park in Montcada, Valencia. Residents erupted in applause when Civil Protection Chief Martin Perez announced the news.

Meanwhile, volunteers gathered at the center of Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences for the first coordinated clean-up organized by the regional authorities. The venue was turned into the nerve center for the operation.

In the Valencian suburb of Picanya, shop owner Emilia, 74, told Reuters on Saturday: “We feel abandoned, there are many people who need help. It’s not just my house, it’s all houses and we’re throwing away the furniture, we’re throwing away everything.

“When will the help come to have refrigerators and washing machines? Because we can’t even do our laundry or shower.”

Nurse Maria Jose Gilabert, 52, who also lives in Picanya, said: “We are devastated because there is not much light here at the moment, not because they are not coming to help, they are coming from all over Spain . but because it will be a long time before this becomes a habitable area again”.

The storm triggered a new weather alert in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia, where rain is expected to continue over the weekend.

Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more common in Europe and elsewhere because of climate change. Meteorologists believe that warming the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in worsening the torrential rains.

Disclaimer: This story was published from a news agency feed with minimal changes to adhere to the WION style guide. The title may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION’s audience.