Spain: At least 158 people have tragically lost their lives in Spain’s worst flooding disaster in decades. Rescuers work tirelessly to find survivors amid continuing rain. Over 1,200 workers, supported by drones, were mobilised for the rescue mission as heavy rainfall continued to threaten parts of the country.
During a visit to affected communities, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that, “Right now, the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible.”
Of the recorded fatalities, at least 155 occurred in Valencia, with two in Castilla-La Mancha to the west, and one British national in Andalusia. In the town of Paiporta, Valencia, where a river overflowed, at least 40 deaths have been confirmed.
Although officials have not released the number of people still missing, they acknowledged that there are “many,” as the death toll rose by approximately 60 on Thursday alone. Over 90 fatalities were reported on Wednesday following the torrential rains and flash floods, which primarily affected Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, and as far south as Malaga.
According to the Spanish meteorological agency Aemet, the town of Chiva near Valencia received the equivalent of a year’s worth of rainfall in just eight hours. With further rain warnings issued for southern and eastern regions, King Felipe VI cautioned that the emergency “is still not over,” and PM Sánchez urged citizens to seek shelter where necessary.
In flood-affected areas, hundreds are now in temporary accommodations and beginning the slow process of clearing streets and restoring homes and businesses, as many roads and rail connections from Valencia remain cut off.
In response to the disaster, Spain began a three-day national mourning period on Thursday, with flags at half-mast on government buildings and moments of silence observed. Public frustration is rising over the apparent failure to warn communities about the flood threat in a timely manner.
Questions are being raised regarding whether disaster management services issued alerts too late, with the civil protection agency not issuing a warning until 8:15 PM on Tuesday, by which point many areas had already been flooded for hours.
The intense rainfall has been attributed to a “gota fría,” a natural weather phenomenon that typically impacts Spain in autumn and winter when cold air descends over warmer Mediterranean waters. However, researchers indicated that rising global temperatures have led to clouds carrying more precipitation.
This disaster marks the deadliest flooding event in Spain since 1973 when at least 150 fatalities were reported in the southeastern provinces of Granada, Murcia, and Almeria.
IMPORTANT | Mount Fuji ‘snowless’ for record time after Japan’s hot summer
