At least 95 killed in Spain after devastating floods, mudslides
Valencia and Malaga provinces hit particularly hard after Tuesday storms
Flash floods in eastern Spain killed at least 95 people, sweeping away cars, turning village streets into rivers, and disrupting rail lines and highways. It's the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory.
Rainstorms that started Tuesday and continued Wednesday caused flooding across southern and eastern Spain, stretching from Malaga to Valencia. Muddy torrents tumbled vehicles down streets at high speeds, while debris and household items swirled in the water. Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from their homes and rubber boats to reach drivers trapped on the roofs of cars.
Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed a death toll of 92 people on Wednesday. Another two casualties were reported in the neighbouring Castilla La Mancha region, while southern Andalusia reported one death.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said dozens of towns had been flooded. The federal government said it will declare three days of mourning for the dead, starting on Thursday.
"For those who are looking for their loved ones, all of Spain feels your pain," Sánchez said in a televised address. "Our priority is to help you. We are putting all the resources necessary so that we can recover from this tragedy."
Military helping with disaster response
Authorities reported several missing people late Tuesday, but the following morning brought the shocking announcement of dozens found dead.
"Yesterday was the worst day of my life," Ricardo Gabaldón, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE.
"We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to three metres," he said.
The mayor said six residents died and more are missing.
Over 1,100 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 co-ordinate rescue efforts.
One elderly couple was rescued from the upper story of their house by a military unit using a bulldozer, with three soldiers accompanying them in the huge shovel. Television reports showed videos shot by panicked residents documenting how waters flooded the ground floors of apartments, streams bursting their banks and bridges giving way.
Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years. Nothing, however, compared to the devastation over the last two days.
The death toll could rise with other regions yet to report victims and search efforts continuing in areas with difficult access.
One Valencia town, Paiporta, suffered exceptional loss. Mayor Maribel Albalat told RTVE that over 30 people died in the town of some 25,000 people. Those included six residents of a senior residence. News media broadcast footage of seniors in chairs and wheelchairs at a Paiporta nursing home, some crying out in apparent terror as the water rose over their knees.
"We don't know what happened, but in 10 minutes the village was overflowing with water," Albalat said.
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.
'Everything is a total wreck'
The storms unleashed a freak hailstorm which punched holes in car windows and greenhouses as well as a rarely seen tornado.
As well, a high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no one was hurt. High-speed train service between Valencia city and Madrid was interrupted, as were several commuter lines.
Carlos Mazón, president of the Valencia region, urged people to stay at home, with travel by road already difficult due to fallen trees and wrecked vehicles.
"The neighbourhood 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. "Everything is a total wreck, everything is ready to be thrown away. The mud is almost 30 centimetres deep."
Located south of Barcelona down the Mediterranean coast, Valencia is a tourist destination known for its beaches, citrus orchards, and as the home of Spain's paella rice dish.
Like some other areas of Spain, Valencia has gorges and small riverbeds that spend much of the year completely dry but quickly fill with water when it rains. Many of them pass through populated areas. The rain had subsided in Valencia by late Wednesday morning.
Spain's national weather service said it rained more in eight hours in Valencia than it had in the preceding 20 months, calling the deluge "extraordinary."
