Spain mourns as death toll passes 150 in catastrophic floods
At least 158 people have lost their lives in Spain’s deadliest flooding disaster in generations, as rescuers face significant challenges in their search for survivors.
On Thursday, over 1,200 personnel, supported by drones, were mobilized for the rescue operation as rain continued to pose a threat to various regions of the country.
“At this moment, the priority is to save as many lives as we can,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stated during a visit to affected communities.
However, in some of the towns hardest hit by the floods on Tuesday night, residents were left to recover bodies from the debris and mud.
Valencia recorded at least 155 fatalities, while two deaths were confirmed in Castilla-La Mancha to the west, along with one British national in Andalusia.
In the town of Paiporta, Valencia, where a river overflowed, at least 40 fatalities have been reported so far.
“We all know someone who has died,” lamented pharmacist Miguel Guerrilla, standing outside his chemist shop, which was engulfed in thick mud. “It’s a nightmare.”
On Thursday, the BBC witnessed funeral directors and vans retrieving bodies from the streets, while cars swept away by the storm surge were stacked on nearby roads.
Motorists recounted the terrifying experience of being trapped by the rising waters on Tuesday, which transformed highways and streets into raging rivers—many survivors had to climb trees or bridges to escape.
Officials have not released the number of people still unaccounted for but indicated that there are “many,” as the death toll increased by around 60 on Thursday.
More than 90 fatalities were reported on Wednesday alone in the immediate aftermath of the torrential rain and flash floods, which heavily impacted Valencia, as well as Castilla-La Mancha and as far south as Malaga.
The town of Chiva near Valencia received the equivalent of one year’s rainfall in just eight hours according to the Spanish meteorological agency Aemet.
As further rain warnings were issued for the south and east of the country on Thursday, King Felipe VI warned the emergency was “still not over” and PM Sánchez warned citizens to take shelter where necessary.
Meanwhile in flood-affected areas, hundreds are sheltering in temporary accommodation and beginning the slow, arduous task of clearing streets and recovering homes and businesses.
Many roads and the rail network connecting Valencia to the rest of Spain remain cut off.
Spain began an official three-day national mourning period on Thursday with flags at half-mast on government buildings and minutes of silence held.
Public anger is growing over how a developed European country appeared to fail to warn many communities of the flood danger in time.
Questions have been asked over whether disaster management services issued warnings too late.
The civil protection agency, deployed during national disasters, did not issue an alert until 20:15 on Tuesday evening local time, by which time several places in Valencia had been flooded for hours.
Authorities have called the downpours and flooding “unprecedented”.
Many factors contribute to flooding, but a warming atmosphere caused by climate change makes extreme rainfall more likely.
Weather researchers have identified the likely main cause of the intense rainfall as a “gota fria” – a natural weather event that hits Spain in autumn and winter when cold air descends on warmer waters over the Mediterranean.
However, the increase in global temperatures had led to the clouds carrying more rain, scientists told the BBC.
The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the industrial era began and temperatures will keep rising unless governments around the world make steep cuts to emissions.
“No doubt about it, these explosive downpours were intensified by climate change,” said Dr Friederike Otto, from Imperial College London, who leads an international group of scientists who try to understand the role that warming plays in these type of events.
The death toll is the worst from floods in Spain since 1973, when at least 150 people were estimated to have died in the southeastern provinces of Granada, Murcia and Almeria.
