Almost all of those detained are suspected of looting and violent robberies in commercial establishments and private homes, said ministry sources, cited by the Spanish news agency Europa Press.

The floods on Tuesday last week affected entire commercial areas in several locations in the suburbs of the Spanish city of Valencia, with reports of looting and looting on the first day.

In a statement to the country last Saturday, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that maintaining public order and security in flood-affected areas was one of the immediate priorities of authorities on the ground in light of these reports of looting and robberies in areas that were without electricity.

Sánchez announced that day a reinforced presence of military personnel and members of the State security forces in the affected areas, for rescue and cleaning work, helping the population and guaranteeing public safety.

Around 7,000 military personnel and more than 10,000 police officers and members of the Civil Guard are on the ground, in the largest deployment ever in the history of Spain "in times of peace", said the prime minister.

Eastern Spain, especially the Valencia region, was hit on Tuesday by a storm that probably caused the biggest floods in Europe this century, Sánchez said on the same day, acknowledging that there was a "tragic situation".

There are so far 217 confirmed deaths and dozens of families continue to search for missing people, according to authorities.

In addition to the fatalities, the storm caused damage to supply, communication and transport infrastructure.