Spain floods latest: Death toll soars to 158 and looting breaks out as more torrential rain expected tonight
Death toll continues to rise after worst flash floods in three decades sweeps across Spanish region of Valencia
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Your support makes all the difference.As the death toll in the wake of flash flooding continues to rise, dozens of looters have been arrested in Spain amid warnings of more extreme weather to come.
The official number of people killed by the catastrophic floods has risen dramatically to 158, marking a sharp increase in the official death toll reported this morning of 95 people.
Spain’s prime minister has urged residents to stay at home as he warned devastation is “not finished” and declared Valencia a “disaster zone”.
Thieves took advantage of the chaos, with Spain’s national police sharing shocking images of a smashed jewellery store window alongside a large amount of goods taken by looters. The force added that 39 people had been arrested.
Torrential rain – amounting to a year’s worth in just eight hours in some areas – engulfed cities such as Valencia and Malaga, with many finding themselves “trapped like rats” in their homes and cars, surrounded by rapidly rising floodwaters.
Many affected are preparing for more torrential rain, after Spain’s meteorological service issued a series of fresh warnings – including the most severe kind – on Thursday.
Have you been affected by this? Get in touch at athena.stavrou@independent.co.uk.
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Government advice on travel to Spain
As of 31 October the UK’s Foreign Office (FCDO) travel advice said that journeys may be affected due to severe weather and flooding affecting many areas of southern and eastern Spain, particularly in the Valencia region and Castilla La Mancha.
The FCDO advises checking the latest weather warnings from Spain’s meteorological office before travelling and following the instructions from local authorities.
In terms of the Foreign Office’s general advice about travelling to a destination that has been impacted by flooding, they warn that the flood waters can cause devastation and loss of life. After a flood, they also warn that there is an increased risk of water-borne diseases and transport infrastructure can be severely impacted.
The European Meteorological Services advises to only travel if a journey is essential to the southern and northern coast of Castellón, as well as the northern interior of Castellón.
“Extreme or catastrophic damages to people and properties may occur, especially to those vulnerable or in exposed areas,” they wrote.
Spain floods mapped: Where are weather alerts in force as death toll hits 158?
Weather warnings are in force across swathes of Spain as further storms approach on the heels of devastating flooding which has claimed at least 158 lives – making it the country’s worst natural disaster in living memory.
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has warned that the devastation caused by flash flooding is “not finished” as he declared Valencia a “disaster zone” on Thursday. Urging residents to remain in their homes, he said: “Right now the most important thing is to safeguard as many lives as possible.”
Cities such as Valencia and Malaga were inundated this week after nearly a year’s worth of rain – close to half a metre – fell in just eight hours in some areas, leaving residents “trapped like rats” in homes and cars, as described by one desperate local mayor recalling the chaos.
Andy Gregory reports:
Spain floods mapped: Where are weather alerts in force as death toll hits 158?
New weather warnings issued in dozens of areas in Spain as prime minister warns devastation from flooding is ‘not finished’
Police arrest 39 for looting in wake of floods
Spanish police have arrested 39 people for looting shops in the wake of flash flooding.
Thieves took advantage of the chaos sparked by the deadly flooding, with Spain’s national police sharing shocking images of a smashed jewellery store window alongside a large amount of goods taken by looters.
Watch: 'Terrified' Valencia flood victim shows scale of devastation
Death toll rises again
The death toll in eastern Spain has risen again, as emergency workers continue their desperate search for survivors.
At least 158 people have been killed by the flash flooding - a sharp increase in the 95 people confirmed dead this morning.
155 of those deaths were confirmed in the hardest-hit region of Valencia.
‘I feel helpless,’ says woman searching for lost relative in Valencia floods
A woman is still searching for her lost relative amid the destroyed houses and flooded streets of Valencia.
As the waters recede, Marta Rodríguez Múria and her family hold onto hope that her cousin David can be rescued alive. The 32-year-old told The Independent: “The last we heard, he was driving to work.
“His car was found abandoned between Buñol and Chiva, but he’s vanished.”
Just moments before the storm struck, her cousin reached out to her aunt, calling for help as he was caught in the storm’s fury. They haven’t heard anything since.
She added: “We don’t know if he’s safe or if the water swept him away. My aunt is inconsolable. We’re all heartbroken, trapped in this nightmare.”
In Torrente, where she lives, people have been cut off from the outside world. Roads are destroyed, trains are canceled, and supermarkets are filled with panic buyers.
She added: “I’m left without food or water, and I can’t even pay for supplies because all the systems are down.
“We’re just waiting for a glimmer of news, something that tells us he’s safe. At this point, we just want to hear something—good or bad.”
Marta claimed people were not warned about the severe weather until it was “too late.”
She said: “I feel powerless. There should have been better warnings. People were sent to work as if there was no danger coming. The material damage is one thing, but many lives could have been spared.”
Death toll soars to 140
The official death toll has risen dramatically to 140, Spain’s state-run news agency EFE has said.
The new figure is a sharp rise from the previous number of 95, reported this morning.
More from Spanish PM’s speech earlier
Spain’s prime minister spoke earlier today as he visited some of the areas worst affected by this week’s flash floods.
He urged residents to stay vigilant as he warned the effects of flash floding are “not finished”
Speaking at the Emergency Services Coordination Centre in Valencia, Pedro Sanchez also declared Valencia as a disaster zone and raised the official crisis level to level two.
He told people affected by the flooding to stay at home, as many in the region brace themselves for more extreme weather today.
“We will not abandon the people of Valencia,” he said. “We will be here with you all the time necessary and deploying all resources necessary. Our priority, obviously, right now is to find victims, to find missing persons. Also, so that friends or family can really address the anxiety that families, victims and missing persons are going through.”
Climate crisis ‘worsened all 10 deadliest weather events’
Climate change made the 10 deadliest extreme weather events over the past two decades worse, contributing to the deaths of more than 570,000 people, scientists have said.
Climate scientists said the finding “underscores how dangerous extreme weather events have already become” with just 1.3C of global warming above pre-industrial levels.
It also highlights the urgency of cutting the greenhouse gas emissions driving rising temperatures and more extreme weather, they said, as the world is currently on track for 3C of warming by the end of the century – a level recently described by UN chief Antonio Guterres as “catastrophic”.
More here.
Climate change ‘worsened all 10 deadliest weather events in past two decades’
The deadliest weather events since 2004 caused more than 570,000 deaths and the ‘fingerprints’ of climate change were present, scientists say.
Watch: Driver clings to car roof as water surges through roads
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