At least 62 people have died in flash flooding impacting parts of south-eastern Spain after torrential rains on Tuesday that left roads and towns inundated, according to local authorities.
Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia initially confirmed a death toll of 51 on Wednesday, before the central government office for the Castilla-La Mancha region announced an 88-year-old woman had been found dead in the city of Cuenca.
Rainstorms on Tuesday caused flooding across a stretch of southern and eastern Spain reaching from Malaga to Valencia. Mud-coloured water tumbled vehicles down streets at high speeds and picked up pieces of wood and other debris including household items.
The higher-than-expected rainfall totals come after Spain has weathered drought-like conditions. (AP: Gregorio Marrero)
Authorities in the worst-hit areas have advised residents to stay inside their homes and avoid all non-essential travel as torrential rain continues to inundate roads and towns in Spain’s southern and eastern regions.
The death toll will likely rise with other regions yet to report victims and search efforts continuing in areas with difficult access.
Piles of household debris and other rubble were swept up in floodwaters and intense weather over an area of south-eastern Spain spanning hundreds of kilometres. (Reuters: Eva Manez)
President of the Valencia region, Carlós Mazón, said earlier on Tuesday that an unspecified number of bodies had been found in flood-impacted areas, but did not provide a number to local reporters “out of respect for the families”.
“We are facing an unprecedented situation, which nobody remembers,” Mr Mazon said.
Spain’s Guardia Civil has since confirmed personnel from the Command Operations Centre recovered the bodies of five people in Torrent, including a couple, two children and a baby.
Another two men, a woman and a baby were found dead in Paiporta, a man’s body was found in Chiva, one person’s body was found in Cheste, a woman’s body was found in Alfafar and a man was found dead in Alcudia.
Police and military rescue efforts are underway in Spain to help residents trapped in homes and cars due to rising floodwaters.
(AP: Víctor Fernández/Europa Press)
The government office for the Castilla La Mancha region told radio channel Cadena Ser that six people in the region were missing, while Spanish news agency EFE said one truck driver was missing in L’Alcudia, a town in Valencia.
Images taken by residents on smartphones and broadcast by TVE have shown swift floodwaters carrying cars and rising into the lower level of homes.
Dozens of videos shared on online also appeared to show people trapped by the floodwaters, with some climbing into trees to avoid being swept away.
A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga during a high-speed service from Valencia City, although rail authorities said no one was hurt.
Roads in multiple cities in Spain’s south-eastern regions have been left inundated by unprecedented flooding rains. (AP: Gregorio Marrero)
Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people who were in danger of drowning from submerged homes and cars, and an emergency rescue brigade of 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s army was deployed to bolster the efforts.
One elderly couple was rescued from the upper story of their house by a military unit using a bulldozer, with three soldiers accompanying them.
Spain’s central government set up a crisis committee that met for the first time late Tuesday to overlook the emergency response to the flooding.
“I am closely following with concern the reports on missing persons and the damage caused by the storm in recent hours,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X.
Rescue helicopters have been pulling Spanish residents in danger of drowning from rising floodwaters. (AP: Gregorio Marrero)
Valencia city hall said all school classes and sports events were suspended on Wednesday, and parks would remain closed.
Twelve flights that were due to land at Valencia airport were diverted to other cities in Spain, according to Spanish airport operator Aena.
Another 10 flights that were due to depart or arrive at the airport were cancelled.
Authorities in the worst-hit areas have been advising residents to stay inside their homes or to avoid all non-essential travel during the floods. (AP: Alberto Saiz)
National rail infrastructure operator ADIF said it had suspended all rail services in the Valencia region “until the situation returns to normal for the safety of passengers”.
Parts of the Valencia region remain without power and phone lines are down, Mr Mazon said.
Intense storms were forecast to continue through until Thursday, according to Spain’s national weather service.
Spanish authorities expect the death toll from the flash flooding to continue to rise as the trail of destruction from the emergency is revealed. (AP: Alberto Saiz)
Spain’s state weather agency AEMET has declared a red alert in the Valencia region, with areas like Turis and Utiel recording as much as 200 mm of rain.
The death toll appeared to be the worst in Europe from flooding since 2021 when almost 200 people died, mainly in Germany.
“Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Ricardo Gabaldón, the mayor of Utiel said.
“We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to three meters.”
In the Spanish parliament, the Speaker of the Spanish Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol, called for a minute’s silence to be observed for the “already numerous” victims of the flooding, their families, for citizens living through “complicated” moments, and in support of emergency services working to rescue victims.
Spanish King, Felipe VI, also said he is “devastated” by the emergency situation, in a statement released on Wednesday.
Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years, and has recovered from a severe drought this year due to higher-than-expected rainfall. Scientists say that increased episodes of extreme weather are likely linked to climate change.
AP/AFP/Reuters
