People walk through flooded streets in Valencia, Spain on October 30, 2024. Photo Credit: AP
Flash floods in the eastern region of Valencia, Spain swept away cars, turned village roads into rivers and disrupted rail lines and highways in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory, killing at least 51 people. Died.
Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed the death toll on Wednesday (October 30, 2024). Heavy rain on Tuesday (October 29, 2024) caused flooding across large parts of southern and eastern Spain.
The flood of mud-coloured water swept vehicles off the roads at terrifying speed. Pieces of wood kept roaming around along with household items. Police and rescue services used helicopters to rescue people from their homes and cars.
A woman looks out from her balcony as vehicles are stranded on the road during floods in Valencia on October 30, 2024. Photo Credit: AP
Authorities reported several people missing on Tuesday (October 29, 2024), but made the shocking announcement the next morning that dozens of people had been found dead. More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units were deployed to the devastated areas.
“Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Ricardo Gabaldon, mayor of UTL, a city in Valencia, told the national broadcaster. rtveHe said that many people are still missing in his city.
“We were trapped like rats. Carts and garbage containers were flowing on the roads. The water was rising up to three metres,” he said. Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years, but nothing compared to the devastation caused over the past two days.
The death toll could easily rise as other areas have yet to report victims and search efforts continue in difficult-to-access areas. In the village of Latur in the neighboring Castilla-La Mancha region, Mayor Sergio Marin Sanchez said six people were missing.
A high-speed train carrying about 300 people derailed near Málaga, although rail officials said no one was hurt. High-speed train service between the city of Valencia and Madrid was disrupted, as were several commuter lines.
Valencian regional President Carlos Mazón urged people to stay at home so as not to complicate rescue operations, as travel by road is already difficult due to fallen trees and damaged vehicles.
“The neighborhood is destroyed, all the cars are on top of each other, it’s literally shattered,” Christian Viña, a bar owner in the Valencian village of Barrio de la Torre, said by phone. “Everything is completely ruined, everything is ready to be thrown away. The mud is about 30 centimeters deep.” Spain’s central government established a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.
According to Spain’s national weather service, the rain had subsided in Valencia by late Wednesday morning (October 30, 2024), but more storms were predicted until Thursday (October 31, 2024). Spain is still recovering from a severe drought that struck earlier this year. Scientists say the increasing incidence of extreme weather is probably related to climate change.
published – October 30, 2024 03:32 PM IST