Devastating Floods Claim at Least 62 Lives in Valencia, Spain
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LA ALCUDIA, Spain, Oct 30 (Reuters) – At least 62 individuals have lost their lives in the deadliest flooding Spain has experienced in three decades, triggered by torrential rain that hit the eastern Valencia region on Tuesday. Local authorities reported that many roads and towns have been submerged under water.
Rescue teams, utilizing dinghies, worked through the night to search the flooded areas, managing to save several people, as shown in television footage from the town of Utiel. Emergency services continued to strive to reach the most severely affected locations.
“To those who are still searching for their loved ones, all of Spain shares your grief,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez expressed in a televised address. “To the communities devastated by this tragedy, I assure you: Together, we will rebuild your streets, squares, and bridges.”
Carlos Mazon, Valencia’s regional leader, emphasized that some individuals remained isolated in areas that were difficult to access. “If emergency services haven’t reached them, it’s not due to a lack of resources or willingness, but due to access issues,” Mazon stated at a press conference, adding that some locations were “absolutely impossible” to reach.
Numerous videos circulated on social media overnight showed individuals trapped in the floodwaters, with some climbing trees to escape the rising waters. Rescue workers were seen transporting several women using a bulldozer’s bucket, while firefighters freed drivers stranded in flooded streets in Alzira.
Train services to major cities like Madrid and Barcelona were canceled due to the flooding, and schools along with other essential services were suspended in the most affected areas.
Worst Flooding in Spain Since 1996
This incident marks the highest death toll from flooding in Europe since 2021, when at least 185 people perished in Germany. It is the most severe flood-related disaster in Spain since 1996, when 87 individuals died in a town in the Pyrenees mountains.
Experts indicate that extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent in Europe, largely due to climate change. Meteorologists believe that the warming of the Mediterranean, which boosts water evaporation, contributes significantly to the intensity of torrential rains.
“Such events, once occurring decades apart, are now happening more often and with greater destructive power,” noted Ernesto Rodriguez Camino, a senior state meteorologist and member of the Spanish Meteorological Association.
Emergency services in the region advised citizens to avoid all road travel and to heed official warnings. A military rescue unit was deployed in certain areas to assist local emergency responders.
Spain’s state weather agency AEMET issued a red alert on Tuesday for Valencia, a major citrus-producing region, with some places, like Turis and Utiel, receiving up to 200 mm (7.9 inches) of rainfall. Although the rain has ceased, Castellon in the northern part of the region remained under orange alert until 2 p.m. (1300 GMT).
ASAJA, one of Spain’s largest farming organizations, warned of significant crop damage expected from the flooding. Spain is the world’s largest exporter of fresh and dried oranges, with Valencia contributing approximately 60% of the country’s citrus production, according to the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Investigations.