At least 51 people died due to floods caused by torrential rains in the Valencia regionin the southeast of Spain, which caused shocking images of rivers of water washing away streets and carrying away cars.
“First assessment carried out by the different security and emergency bodies and forces: provisional death toll of 51 people”, Valencia’s relief services indicated on the social network X. “The process of surveying and identifying the victims is beginning,” they added.
Strong winds and torrential rains have hit the south and east of Spain since the beginning of the week, causing flooding especially in Valencia and the Andalusia region.
Some parts of the Valencian Community were still without telephone or electricity service on Wednesday morning and certain places continued to be inaccessible due to flooded roads, the regional president, Carlos Mazón, informed journalists.
Images recorded on Tuesday showed torrents of water washing away streets and washing away cars. Rail and air transportation to the area was severely affected.
“We reiterate the importance of not traveling by road” in the affected provinces in the Valencia region, Mazón insisted this Wednesday.
The Spanish government set up a crisis committee
The Congress of Deputies observed a minute of silence on Wednesday in honor of the victims. “Desolate at the latest news (…) Our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the more than 50 deceased. Strength, encouragement and all the necessary support for all those affected,” the Royal House said in X.
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who was returning from a tour of India, will chair a committee at noon of crisis to monitor the situation, announced the Presidency.
“I follow closely and with concern the information about the missing people and the damage caused” due to the storm, Sánchez had written on Tuesday night in X, urging the population to follow the recommendations of the authorities.
It rained in one day what usually falls in a month
In some areas, the amount of rain that usually falls in a month fell in one day, according to local media. “We are facing an unprecedented situation, which no one remembers,” said the head of the Valencia government.
With the current death toll of 51, this is the deadliest event caused by bad weather in Spain since August 1996.
That month, torrents of water, mud and stones, caused by torrential rains, devastated the “Las Nieves” campsite in the town of Biescas (Huesca province) in the Aragonese Pyrenees, causing 86 deaths.
On a European scale, this is the episode with the most fatalities since July 2021, when floods in Germany and Belgium caused more than 200 deaths and damage worth billions of euros.
Institutional help
The government sent the Military Emergency Unit (UME), specialized in rescue missions, to Valencia to support local relief services. “More than 1,000 UME soldiers have been deployed in the province of Valencia with specialized means working, side by side, with the regional emergency device,” said that body in X.
The Valencia City Council reported that classes at schools and sporting events were suspended this Wednesday, and that parks were closed.
Dozens of flights that were supposed to land at Valencia airport were diverted due to heavy rain and strong winds, reported the Spanish airport operator, Aena.
The national railway infrastructure operator, Adif, announced the suspension of the railway service in the Valencian Community “until the situation normalizes.”
The state meteorological agency Aemet warned that the rains will continue at least until Thursday.
Scientists warn that extreme weather events, such as heat waves and storms, are becoming more intense due to climate change. “We are on a warmer planet with more energy availability. Precipitation patterns are altering in our territory. Several studies point towards more torrential and short-duration rains,” Aemet indicated in a first assessment
Source: Ambito
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