At least 63 people have died in eastern Spain after flash floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted rail lines and highways.
A resident walks next to a car lifted up in a street covered in mud in a flooded area in Picanya, near Valencia , eastern Spain , on October 30, 2024.At least 63 people have died in eastern Spain after flash floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted rail lines and highways in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory.
Authorities reported several missing people late Tuesday, but the following morning brought the shocking announcement of dozens found dead. Over 1,000 soldiers from Spain's emergency response units were deployed to the devastated areas. Rescue services were also rushing eastwards from other parts of Spain. Spain's central government set up a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.
Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years. Nothing, however, compared to the devastation over the last two days, which recalls floods in Germany and Belgium in 2021 that saw 230 people killed. Spain is still recovering from a severe drought and continues to register record high temperatures in recent years. Scientists say increased episodes of extreme weather are likely linked to climate change.
Valencian regional President Carlos Mazón urged people to stay at home, with travel by road already difficult due to fallen trees and wrecked vehicles. Authorities warned that the danger was not over with more rain coming."The neighborhood is destroyed, all the cars are on top of each other, it's literally smashed up," Christian Viena, a bar owner in the Valencian village of Barrio de la Torre, said by phone.
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