Spain’s government has ordered the deployment of 10,000 soldiers and police officers to the Valencia flash flood disaster zone amid a row over control of the rescue effort.

Pedro Sánchez, the Socialist prime minister, called it the biggest peacetime deployment of military personnel in Spain’s history after admitting the response so far was “not enough”.

By Sunday, a total of 7,500 troops and more than 9,000 officers will be aiding in the efforts to locate bodies and survivors, as well as restoring order to destroyed towns and villages, some of which have been cut off from food, water and power for days.

Spain’s government has been frustrated by what it believes is the slow response to the disaster by Carlos Mazón, Valencia’s regional president from the conservative People’s Party (PP).