Spain flood deaths top 200

Rescuers equipped with drones and sniffer dogs wade through water in search of dozens missing

Paiporta (Spain): Rescuers on Friday raised the death toll in Spain's worst floods for a generation to 205 as the government deployed more troops in an increasingly desperate search for survivors.

The floods that have tossed vehicles, collapsed bridges and covered towns with mud since Tuesday are the European country's deadliest such disaster in decades.

The organisation coordinating emergency services in the hardest-hit eastern Valencia region said 202 people had been confirmed dead there.

Officials in neighbouring Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia in the south had already announced a combined three deaths in their regions.

Rescuers equipped with drones and sniffer dogs waded through water and rummaged through debris in search of dozens of people the authorities believe are still missing.

The government has deployed another 500 troops to the stricken areas to bolster the 1,200 already on site for search, rescue and logistics tasks. Another 500 will be dispatched on Saturday.