Laurence Dollimore
A STAGGERING 1,900 people are still missing following the deadly flash floods in Valencia which have so far claimed the lives of more than 200 residents.
The jaw-dropping figure has been confirmed by the Integrated Operational Coordination Centre (Cecopi), which is managing the missing persons database in relation to the disaster.
It comes after they have been inundated with calls from worried loved ones and relatives of those still missing.
It is hoped that the worrying figure will be steadily reduced over the coming hours as more and more people are located.
On Thursday, for example, some 600 people who were missing were found.
However, according to El Diario, around 70 bodies were located today that have yet to be collected.
There are also fears that more corpses will be discovered inside vehicles that have become stuck on roads not yet searched by rescue teams.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health have warned that some hospitals are ‘on the verge of collapse’.
The most at risk is La Fe Hospital in Valencia.
The 112 emergency hotline has received more than 75,000 calls since disaster struck on Tuesday.
According to the Guardia Civil, 124 autopsies have been carried out and just 17 bodies have been identified.
There are still 138 bodies waiting to be ID’d at the Institute of Legal Medicine.
A crack team of forensic experts and psychologists have been called in to speed up the processes and to provide support for grieving families.
