Heavy Rains Hit Spain, Still Reeling From Deadly Flooding

Emergency workers continued the search for victims of last week’s flash floods, while a national debate raged over who was to blame for the catastrophe.

As families along Spain’s Mediterranean coast took to the country’s airwaves to plead for help finding lost loved ones in the aftermath of last week’s devastating floods, the government on Monday deployed hundreds more troops to help with the search for victims, according to the emergency authorities.

Thousands of soldiers and police officers deployed to the region to help with rescue and recovery efforts were stymied by up to a foot more of rain in some places on Monday. Spain’s meteorological agency had recorded about six inches of rain by 11 a.m. in Barcelona and warned that the city could get another five inches later in the day.

The agency also predicted heavy rains in the coastal provinces of Castellón, Tarragona, and Barcelona.

Spain’s Interior Ministry said on Monday that the death toll had risen to 215 people from the floods spurred by downpours that began last week. The disaster has sparked an angry debate in Spain over accountability, with some people accusing government officials of waiting too long to send warnings.

Dozens of flights were canceled and 18 were diverted from the international airport in Barcelona, according to the airport operator. News agencies shared videos of flooding in the terminals.

Rain was also falling in Valencia, the region hit hardest by last week’s flash floods. That could complicate search and rescue efforts still underway there on Monday.

Several main roads remained cut off in the region, and some people were without power or drinkable water.

As a clearer picture of the scale of the catastrophe has emerged, Spaniards have questioned why so many people were seemingly unprepared for the destruction or the violence of the storms.

Spain’s meteorological agency started issuing weather warnings days before the storm intensified and issued a flurry of them last Tuesday morning, when rains were heaviest.

But the regional government in Valencia, which controls the formal alert system, did not send out a text message with an alert until after 8 p.m. that day, when the floodwaters were already rising.

That has led to anger and frustration with the authorities — sentiments that spilled over on Sunday in Valencia, when a delegation of leaders came to visit the town of Paiporta, where at least 60 people died.

Protesters screamed insults and flung mud at King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and Carlos Mazón, the leader of the Valencia region.

Some people have accused Mr. Mazón and other regional officials of not acting quickly enough, questioning why he spent Tuesday morning chairing meetings and speaking with unions instead of aggressively preparing for the floods.

Others — including Mr. Mazón — have blamed Mr. Sánchez and the national government for not responding more quickly to the emergency.

The images of the king and queen dotted with mud have shocked many Spaniards. The king cannot give operational orders and has only symbolic power, but he is the face of the nation and has personal influence over Spain’s elected leaders.

Still, the royal family’s popularity has wavered in recent years.

Juan Carlos, the former king, abdicated in 2014 and moved to Abu Dhabi in 2020 to escape corruption investigations. Prosecutors have since dropped the fraud charges, but the scandals that dogged his reign, which include love affairs, have tainted the view of King Felipe, his son, despite his efforts to project a more sober and responsible image.

In this case, some saw King Felipe’s visit to hard-hit areas as more of a distraction than a comfort, even though he stayed to speak with frustrated people after political leaders, like Mr. Sánchez, left the scene because of security concerns.

Some also criticized how resources were allocated: The king and his entourage were able to get to Paiporta even as rescuers and emergency workers struggled to navigate the area.

King Felipe acknowledged the “anger and frustration” in a speech after the incident on Sunday, with mud still splattered on his boots. Óscar Puente, Spain’s transport minister, told the TV channel La Sexta on Sunday night that the visit was well-intentioned, but acknowledged that “maybe it wasn’t the best time.”