Spain floods latest: British man among 95 dead in Valencia flooding as dozens still missing
Death toll continues to rise after worst flash floods in three decades swept Spanish region of Valencia
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The number of people killed in Spain’s deadliest flash flooding in three decades is expected to rise, as the search for dozens still missing continues and more rain is expected to come.
At least 95 people, including a 71-year-old British man, have died in southern and eastern Spain following the devastating flash flooding.
Torrential rain – amounting to a year’s worth in just eight hours in some areas – inundated cities such as Valencia and Malaga, many found themselves “trapped like rats” in their homes and cars, surrounded by rapidly rising floodwaters.
Authorities fear the death will rise as other regions of Spain were yet to report victims and search efforts continued in hard-to-reach places to find dozens of missing people. Government minister Angel Victor Torres told Spanish broadcaster TVE that “there are many missing people.”
As the search and rescue operation continues, more rain is expected to fall on some of the worst-affected areas.
Spain’s state meteorological service has a number of weather warnings, with up to 100mm of rain expected to fall within 12 hours north of Valencia.
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‘The entire nation mourns with you’ - PM
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez earlier delivered a speech following the deadly aftermath of the dana flooding.
He urged people across the country to be cautious and reassured those in affected areas by saying: “We won’t abandon you.”
In his televised address, Sanchez also committed to rebuilding the damaged infrastructure, adding: “For those still searching for their loved ones, the whole of Spain weeps with you.”
Scientist warns of more flash flooding
A leading scientist has warned similar flooding will happen again and that people need to understand the risks.
“We’re going to see more of these flash floods in the future. This has the fingerprints of climate change on it, these terribly heavy rainfalls, and these devastating floods,” said Hannah Cloke, professor of hydrology at the University of Reading.
She said even early warnings of heavy rain based on reliable forecasts did little to prevent the fatalities and people needed to understand the real danger.
“Just telling people that it’s going to rain quite a lot, it’s not good enough...We could see that people were putting themselves at risk driving in floodwaters, and there was just so much water that it has overwhelmed these places.”
Experts say it will take time to analyse all the data to determine if this particular Dana was caused by climate change, but most agree that an increase in temperature of the Mediterranean and warmer and more humid atmospheric conditions contribute to producing more frequent extreme episodes.
Crops expected to be badly damaged
One of Spain’s largest farmers’ groups said it expected significant damage to crops.
Spain is the world’s largest exporter of fresh and dried oranges, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, and Valencia accounts for about 60 per cent of the country’s citrus production, according to Valencian Institute of Agriculture Investigations.
Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent in Europe due to climate change. Meteorologists think the warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in making torrential rains more severe.
Full report: More than 90 dead after torrential rain causes flash flooding
More than 90 dead after torrential rain brings flash flooding to Spain
Emergency services have urged people to refrain from any kind of road travel and to follow further updates from official sources
At least 95 people, dogs and horses killed
Dogs and horses also died, as well as at least 95 people, a resident of Alora in the south said.
Power company i-DE said about 150,000 customers in Valencia had no electricity.
Emergency services in the region urged citizens to avoid all road travel and to follow further official advice, and a military unit specialised in rescue operations was deployed in some places to help local emergency workers.
“(The floodwaters) took away lots of dogs, lots of horses, they took away everything,” said Antonio Carmona, a construction worker.
‘A river came through'
Residents in the worst-hit places described seeing people clambering onto the roofs of their cars as a churning tide of brown water gushed through the streets, uprooting trees and dragging away chunks of masonry from buildings.
“It’s a river that came through,” said Denis Hlavaty, who waited for rescue on a ledge in the petrol station where he works in the regional capital.
“The doors were torn away and I spent the night there, surrounded by water that was 2 metres (6.5ft) deep.”
Footage shot by emergency services from a helicopter showed bridges that had collapsed and cars and trucks piled on top of each other on highways between flooded fields outside the city of Valencia, on Spain’s east coast.
Three days of mourning after Spain’s deadliest flooding in nearly 30 years
Spain’s government said it would declare three days of mourning starting tomorrow for those killed.
The death toll appears to be the worst in Europe from flooding since 2021 when at least 185 people died in Germany.
It is the deadliest flood-related disaster in Spain since 1996, when 87 people died near a town in the Pyrenees mountains.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was ready to help. “What we’re seeing in Spain is devastating,” she said on social media.
At least 95 now dead
The death toll from flash floods in Valencia and eastern Spain has reached at least 95, Spanish officials said.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said dozens of towns had been flooded.
“For those who are looking for their loved ones, all of Spain feels your pain,” Mr Sanchez said in a televised address. “Our priority is to help you. We are putting all the resources necessary so that we can recover from this tragedy.”
British man, 71, killed in floods
A 71-year-old British man has been confirmed as one of the casualties of the flash floods.
President of the Andalusian government, Juanma Morena, said the man had died in hospital hours after being rescued from his home on the outskirts of Alhaurín de la Torre, Málaga.
He added that he was suffering from hypothermia and died after suffering several cardiac arrests.
Flooding brought worst day of my life, says mayor
The mayor of a town where six people died and more were unaccounted for says it was the worst day of his life.
Ricardo Gabaldon, mayor of Utiel in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE: “We were trapped like rats. Cars and rubbish containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to 3 meters (9.8ft).”
Searchers worked to find survivors and victims, with countless numbers still missing.
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