A research boat will scan the seabed to help search for those missing in Spain’s floods

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — A Spanish investigation alloy that investigates marine ecosystems has been abruptly diverted from its accustomed task to return connected a caller job: Helping successful nan progressively hopeless hunt for the missing from Spain’s floods.

The 24 unit members aboard nan Ramón Margalef were preparing Friday to usage its sensors and submergible robot to representation an offshore area of 36 quadrate kilometers —- nan balanced of much than 5,000 shot fields —- to spot if they tin find vehicles that past week’s catastrophic floods swept into nan Mediterranean Sea.

The dream is that a representation of sunken vehicles could lead to nan betterment of bodies. Nearly a 100 group person been officially declared missing, and authorities admit that is apt they are much group unaccounted for successful summation to nan complete 200 declared dead.

Pablo Carrera, nan marine biologist starring nan mission, estimates that successful 10 days his squad will beryllium capable to manus complete useful accusation to constabulary and emergency services. Without a map, he said it would beryllium practically intolerable for constabulary to transportation retired an effective and systematic betterment cognition to scope vehicles that ended up connected nan seabed.

“It would beryllium for illustration uncovering a needle successful a haystack,” Carrera told The Associated Press by phone.

Many cars became decease traps erstwhile nan tsunami-like flooding deed connected Oct. 29.

The vessel will subordinate a wider effort by constabulary and soldiers who person expanded their searches for bodies and nan missing beyond nan devastated towns and streets. Searchers person utilized poles to probe into layers of mud while sniffer dogs tried to find scent traces of bodies buried successful canal banks and fields. They are besides looking astatine beaches that statement nan coast.

The first area nan Ramón Margalef is searching is nan agelong of oversea disconnected nan Albufera wetlands, wherever astatine slightest immoderate of nan h2o ended up aft ripping done villages and nan confederate outskirts of Valencia city.

Spanish authorities broadcaster said Friday that nan assemblage of 1 female had been recovered connected nan formation aft she went missing erstwhile nan rushing h2o swept done her municipality of Pedralba, astir an hour’s thrust from nan coast.

Carrera, 60, is caput of nan fleet of nan investigation vessels tally by nan Spanish Institute of Oceanography, a authorities funded subject halfway nether nan umbrella of nan Spanish National Research Council.

He boarded nan Ramón Margalef successful Alicante, located down Spain’s coast, from wherever it will group sail to scope Valencia’s waters earlier dawn Saturday. The scheme is to spell consecutive to activity pinch nan 10 scientists and technicians and 14 sailors moving non-stop successful shifts. The vessel besides helped investigation nan effect from nan lava travel that reached nan oversea from nan 2021 La Palma volcano eruption successful Spain’s Canary Islands.

Finding a assemblage astatine sea, Carrera said, is highly unlikely. So nan attraction is connected ample objects that shouldn’t beryllium there.

The boat’s submergible robot loaded pinch cameras tin dive to a extent of 60 meters to effort to place cars. Ideally, they will effort to find licence plates, though visibility could beryllium highly constricted and nan cars could beryllium smashed to bits aliases engulfed successful nan muck, Carrera said.

In nan longer term, he said his squad will besides measure nan effect of nan flood runoff connected nan marine ecosystem.

Those findings will lend to initiatives by different Spanish investigation centers to study Spain’s deadliest floods of nan century.

Spain is utilized to nan occasional deadly flood produced by autumn storms. But nan drought that has deed nan state for nan past 2 years and grounds basking temperatures helped magnify these floods, scientists say.

Spain’s meteorological agency said that nan 30.4 inches of rainfall that fell successful 1 hr successful nan Valencian municipality of Turis is an all-time nationalist record.

“We person ne'er seen an autumn large wind of this intensity,” Carrera said. “We cannot extremity ambiance change, truthful we person to hole for its effects.”