At least 63 people have died in Spain’s eastern region of Valencia after flash floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted rail lines and highways in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory.
Death toll from flash floods in Spain has risen to at least 63, authorities say.
Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed the death toll on Wednesday.
Rainstorms on Tuesday caused flooding in a wide swath of southern and eastern Spain. Floods of mud-colored water tumbled vehicles down streets at frightening speeds. Pieces of wood swirled with household articles. Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from their homes and cars.
Authorities reported several missing people late Tuesday, but the following morning brought the shocking announcement of dozens found dead.
Over 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units were deployed to the devastated areas.
“Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Ricardo Gabaldón, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE. He said several people were still missing in his town.
“We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to three meters,” he said.
Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years, but nothing compared to the devastation over the last two days.
The death toll could easily rise with other regions yet to report victims and search efforts continuing in areas with difficult access. In the village of Letur in the neighboring Castilla La Mancha region, Mayor Sergio Marín Sánchez said six people were missing.
A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no one was hurt. High-speed train service between Valencia city and Madrid was interrupted, as were several commuter lines.
Valencian regional President Carlos Mazón urged people to stay at home so as not to complicate rescue efforts, with travel by road already difficult due to fallen trees and wrecked vehicles.
“The neighborhood is destroyed, all the cars are on top of each other, it’s literally smashed up,” Christian Viena, a bar owner in the Valencian village of Barrio de la Torre, said by phone. "Everything is a total wreck, everything is ready to be thrown away. The mud is almost 30 centimeters deep.”
Spain’s central government set up a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.
The rain had subsided in Valencia by late Wednesday morning. But more storms were forecast through Thursday, according to Spain’s national weather service.
Spain is still recovering from a severe drought earlier this year. Scientists say increased episodes of extreme weather are likely linked to climate change.
Several people were reported missing by Spanish authorities after flash floods swept cars through village streets and disrupted rail service in large areas of eastern and southern Spain on Tuesday.
Rushing mud-colored waters caused havoc in a huge arc of the European country, running from the provinces of Malaga in the south to Valencia in the east. Images shot by people with smartphones reproduced on Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE showed frighteningly swift waters carrying away cars and rising several feet into the lower level of homes.
A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no one was hurt. The high-speed train service between Valencia city and Madrid was interrupted as were several commuter lines.
The national government office for the Castilla La Mancha region told radio channel Cadena Ser that six people in the region were missing.
Spanish news agency EFE said that one truck driver was missing in L’Alcudia, a town in Valencia. Also in Valencia, the mayor of Utiel, Ricardo Gabaldón, told RTVE that several people were trapped in their homes.
Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from homes and cars which were in danger of drowning. An emergency rescue brigade of Spain’s army deployed to help rescue efforts.
Storms were forecast to continue through Thursday, according to Spain’s national weather service.
Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years. The country has recovered somewhat from a severe drought this year thanks to rainfall. Scientists say that increased episodes of extreme weather are likely linked to climate change.
