Nearly 100 dead after flooding sweeps across parts of Spain during historic rains

VALENCIA, Spain – A catastrophic flash flood has claimed dozens of lives in Spain’s Valencia region following torrential and historic rains that left roads and towns underwater, according to authorities.At least 95 lives have been lost with most reported in Valencia, according to the town’s Emergency Coordination Center. The rise in the death toll marks the worst flooding disaster in Europe since 2021, when nearly 200 people perished, primarily in Germany.In a Wednesday evening update, Carlos Mazón, president of the Valencian Government, said there were no more people to be rescued, and no additional deaths had been reported. The government conducted nearly 270 rescues on Wednesday – 70 via air evacuation and 200 ground rescues, Mazón said. Authorities also said there are no longer any urban areas that emergency services can’t access. Since Monday, Valencia’s emergency number – 112 – has received nearly 5,000 calls related to DANA, according to the Emergency Coordination Center. WHAT MAKES A ‘DANA’ STORM LIKE THE ONE CAUSING DEADLY FLOODING IN SPAIN?”Alongside the Queen, we want to express our condolences to all families that have lost loved ones,” Spain’s King Felipe VI said Wednesday at the Gando Spanish Air Force Base in Gran Canaria. “In some cases, they don’t know yet what has happened to their relatives.”The monarch said there was extensive damage to infrastructure and the personal belongings of so many people in the Valencia, Andalusia and Castilla la Mancha regions.”There are still difficulties accessing some towns and locations,” he said. “There isn’t yet complete information of the full extent of the damage and the number of possible victims.”As a potent storm system, known locally as a DANA storm, spun up the eastern coast of Spain from Monday into Tuesday, strong moisture-laden winds slammed into the mountains west of Valencia, dropping torrential rains for hours across the waterlogged European region.WHAT MAKES A ‘DANA’ STORM LIKE THE ONE CAUSING DEADLY FLOODING IN SPAIN?Spain’s weather agency, AEMET, issued a red alert for Valencia, a crucial citrus-producing region, as torrential rains drenched the area. The video below, captured by Lucia Beamud in the town of La Torre, shows dozens of cars piled on top of one another or submerged in muddy waters. Beamud said the scene was “devastating, absolutely indescribable.”The mountain town of Chiva, west of Valencia, was drenched by 19.33 inches of rain in just eight hours, according to AEMET. An incredible 13.55 inches of that fell in a mere four hours, with 6.5 inches pouring down in a single hour.Water rushed down the mountainsides, quickly overwhelming rivers and towns with raging waters.Government officials urged residents to seek higher ground and stay on the upper floors if possible. Video from Spain’s civil defense showed some water rescues conducted by helicopter.According to the Spanish prison union Acaip-UGT, the storm created a challenging situation for 140 essential workers at the Picassent Penitentiary and the CIS Torre Espioca, which houses over 2,000 inmates. The employees have been on duty for more than 24 hours, trapped by road closures and blocked access.Footage released by the Spanish Ministry of Defense shows rescue efforts, destroyed roads and flooded houses in Utiel, one of the areas hardest hit by the flooding.”Evacuation work, the search for missing persons, and bilge removal are scheduled to continue today,” the ministry wrote on X.Javier Ballesteros, who captured the footage below in Utiel, said on national TV that the woman seen in the video “had a dog and cats” and that the situation was “critical” until they managed to get a helicopter to her.”The woman was asking us to call emergency services, but the line was collapsed,” Ballesteros said. “Water kept rising and was getting above her waist. She was holding a dog, but we know she had multiple cats that were possibly in those bags she was carrying.”Members of Spanish military emergency unit rescued an elderly couple in the devastated town of Letur, in Castille La Mancha region on Wednesday. Encarna Rivero, 88, and her husband Jose Tomas, 89, were assisted after being stranded at a neighbor’s home in Albacete.The severe weather also brought reports of tornadoes and large hail.