Spain floods latest: Death toll soars to 158 as EU says ‘catastrophic’ Valencia flood should serve as warning
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”.
EU officials yesterday said the devastation in Spain should serve as a reminder of the self-harming effects of humans' destruction of nature.
Envoy Florika Fink-Hooijer said the "catastrophe" in Spain's Valencia region earlier highlighted the link between biodiversity loss and human-caused climate crisis.
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.
Bodies still trapped in cars, minister says
Emergency services are continuing to frantically search for any survivors in eastern and southern Spain following deadly flash flooding across the region.
Shocking images have emerged of piled up vehicles, tumbled down by muddy water in worst-hit regions of Valencia.
Spain’s transport minister, Oscar Puente, told media that rescue workers will be facing the task of recovering some bodies from these vehicles.
“Unfortunately, there are dead people inside some vehicles,” he said.
Valencia to be declared a disaster zone - PM
Spain’s prime minister has announced that Valencia is to be declared a disaster zone following the deadly flash flooding that has devastated the area since Tuesday.
Speaking at the Emergency Services Coordination Centre in Valencia, Pedro Sanchez also said the official crisis level has been raised to level two.
Spanish farmers devastated by flood damage
Spanish farmers have been devastated by the flash flooding, with crops wiped out and livestock killed.
Utiel residents Javier Iranzo, 47, and Ana Carmen Fernandez, 48, told Reuters the flooding had completely wrecked their pig farm, with 50 of their animals having drowned.
They estimated hundreds of thousands of euros worth of damages and, despite government pledges of help, said they worried about whether they would receive state aid to help rebuild.
EU fly flags half mast following tragedy
The European Commission is flying its flags half mast today in solidarity with the lives lost in Spain’s flash flooding.
A picture of the EU flags outside the headquarters Brussels was shared on X/Twitter
“The European flags in front of our headquarters in Brussels are at half-mast. Our thoughts are with the victims of the floods in Spain, their families and the rescue teams. The floods in Spain are not only a national tragedy. It’s also a European one.”
Severe weather warning issued
Severe weather warnings have been issued by Spain’s state meteorological service Aemet for Thursday.
Calm weather returned on Thursday to the hardest-hit areas around the city of Valencia, Spain’s third-largest, but the Aemet state weather agency issued its highest level of alert for the province of Castellon.
Further north in the Catalonia region, an amber alert was issued for the city of Tarragona.
It warned: “Extreme danger! Do not travel in the area unless absolutely necessary!”
Spanish president to visit Valencia today
Spain’s president is set to visit some of the worst affected areas of Valencia on Thursday.
President Pedro Sanchez will be seeing the devastating damage first hand having already spoken with the Carlos Mazon and Emiliano García-Page, the presidents of the Valencia Community and Castilla-La Mancha.
Three days of mourning to begin today
Today (Thursday) marks the first official day of national mourning in Spain, after at least 95 people were killed by flash flooding.
Three days of mourning were declared by the Spanish government in the wake of the tragedy.
During an official mourning period, public events are often postponed or cancelled out of respect and flags fly at half mast.
Shocking images of cars strewn across motorway in flood aftermath
More rain expected to hit worst-affected areas
As emergency sevices continue to search for the dozens of people still missing in the devastating flash floods, more rain has been forecast for some of the worst-affected areas.
Spain’s state meteorological service Aemet has issued warnings yellow and orange warnings for much of eastern Spain, with up to 100mm of rain expected to fall within 12 hours in areas north of Valencia.
Valencia itself is also facing a yellow weather warning, with 20mm of rain expected to fall in one hour on Thursday.
The surrounding areas of Castello de la Plana, Vinaros, Morella and Tortosa are all subject to more severe orange weather warnings.
In pics: Aftermath of the flooding in Spain
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