At least 95 people have died in flash floods after torrential rain battered Spain’s eastern region of Valencia and surrounding areas, authorities have said.
Heavy storms on Tuesday triggered floods across parts of southern and eastern Spain. Footage shared on social media showed vehicles being swept away down streets by the mud-coloured water.
More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units were deployed to affected areas and the central government set up a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.
Emergency services in Valencia urged citizens to avoid any kind of road travel and to follow further updates from official sources.
Emergency services in Valencia confirmed a death toll of 92 people on Wednesday. Two more people died in the neighbouring Castilla-La Mancha region, and another victim was reported in Andalusia in the south, both regions’ leaders told journalists.
The toll could rise as some people remain unaccounted for.
Carlos Mazon, the regional leader of Valencia, told a news conference that some people remained isolated in inaccessible locations.
The elderly were also the most vulnerable. National broadcaster RTVE showed a video of a nursing home with several seniors in chairs and wheelchairs with waters rising over their knees as staff struggled to ensure their safety.
Elsewhere, an elderly couple were rescued from the upper storey of their house by a military unit using a bulldozer, with three soldiers accompanying them.
Spain will observe three days of mourning from Thursday, Angel Victor Torres, minister for territorial policy and democratic memory announced.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke with King Felipe VI on Wednesday and informed him of the official days of mourning, Torres told a news conference.
The death toll appears to be the worst in Europe from flooding since 2021 when at least 185 people died in Germany. It is also the deadliest flood-related disaster in Spain since 1996, when 87 people died near a town in the Pyrenees mountains.
Meteorologists have said a year’s worth of rain had fallen in the space of eight hours in parts of Valencia, battering farms in a region responsible for almost two-thirds of citrus fruit grown in Spain, one of the globe’s top producers. Spain’s state-owned railway Renfe said a high-speed train with 291 passengers on board travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed shortly after departure due to a landslide. No injuries have been reported.
Scientists have warned heavy rainfall events have become more frequent and intense worldwide, largely due to climate change. Human activities such as urban development, deforestation, and inadequate infrastructure are also known to increase flood risks.
