At least 72 people have lost their lives due to severe weather that struck the Valencia region in eastern Spain on Tuesday night, government sources told national newspaper El País. Several people are still missing, and the Spanish Government has declared three days of national mourning.
Among the 72 people who have died are at least two children and two babies, Belga News Agency reports. An 88-year-old woman also died in the Cuenca region, marking the first confirmed death in Castilla-La Mancha. Search efforts continue in Albacete for those still missing.
The Spanish government has declared three days of mourning from Thursday, the minister responsible for territorial policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, told reporters.
'As much rain as in a full year'
Southern and eastern Spain have experienced the heaviest rainfall since September 1966. More than 445 litres per square metre fell in some areas over the past 24 hours, according to Spanish news agency EFE. Emergency services issued the first alert shortly after 20:00 on Tuesday.
The small town of Chiva recorded 491 litres falling per square metre. "[This is] practically as much rain as would be seen in a full year," Spain's state weather agency noted, as reported by The Guardian.
On Tuesday night, Spanish authorities announced that several bodies had been found in the Valencia region. Further details were withheld until families could be informed. At dawn, as water levels began to recede, rescue teams aimed to reach previously inaccessible areas to search for missing persons.
Several zones remained cut off, and regional authorities struggled to contact local mayors, said Valencia's regional government president, Carlos Mazón, to national newspaper El País. In eastern Spain, some individuals were still awaiting rescue.
However, thousands were caught off guard by the 'Dana' phenomenon, an isolated high-altitude depression causing sudden and extremely intense rains. Calls for help from people trapped on roads, in shopping centres, or at work inundated social media, while the emergency number 112 was overwhelmed.
In towns such as Utiel and Chiva, torrents of water followed riverbeds for hours, reaching the coast and inundating even areas that were initially spared, such as the suburbs of the regional capital.
A new alert was sent Wednesday morning via the Es-Alert SMS system. Authorities urged the population to avoid travel in the Valencian Community as a precaution, EFE specified.
'Europe is ready to help'
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro offered "all necessary aid" to neighbouring Spain on Wednesday morning.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also stated on social media that the EU had offered support and was "ready to help," and that her "thoughts are with the victims, their families and the rescue teams."
What we're seeing in Spain is devastating.
My thoughts are with the victims, their families and the rescue teams. The EU has already offered support. Copernicus has been activated. The #EUCivilProtection can be mobilised. Europa está lista para ayudar https://t.co/SOsCIxHwvV — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 30, 2024
This article was updated at 16:09 to include the latest information.
