Last night, due to the collapse of emergency services in Valencia, the Basque Country had to take charge of 17 calls from the Valencian community that could not be attended to in their place of origin. The Security Counselor, Bingen Zupiria, explained that some of these calls came directly from Valencia, while others were made by people residing in the Basque Country but have family members in the affected region.
Zupiria expressed the Basque Country's solidarity with the Valencian society in these difficult times, marked by the loss of dozens of human lives, and with other affected territories. He confirmed that, so far, there is no information about Basque citizens among the victims or missing persons, and reiterated the Basque Country's full willingness to collaborate in the emergency.
The lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, has been in contact with the Generalitat and announced that helicopters are ready to be sent as soon as possible. Two helicopters have been arranged, one of which belongs to the Ertzaintza, specialized in underwater rescue and salvage. Additionally, another helicopter has been rented for forestry tasks, which could be used for recovery efforts.
From the Basque Government, it was confirmed that they are coordinating efforts with local councils to provide assistance in this emergency situation. Pradales also tried to contact the Valencian president to offer support and additional resources, both material and ground-based, to confront this tragedy. For the moment, access to the affected areas is limited, so preparations are underway for the necessary resources for when it is possible to enter those areas.
