Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced that a relief package of €10.6 billion has been approved to help victims of the flash floods that hit the eastern coast of the country around Valencia last week. Speaking at a press conference in Madrid, Sánchez compared the package to the measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thousands of rescuers pumped water from submerged buildings, churned through muddy streets and cleared debris on Monday as Spain braced for more deaths from its worst floods in decades.The toll stands at 217 dead and could spike in the coming days as an unknown number of people remain missing.