At least 64 people killed in flash floods in eastern Spain, officials say

At least 64 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 memoryEmergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed a death toll of 62 people on Wednesday Another two casualties were reported in the neighbouring Castilla La Mancha regionRainstorms on Tuesday caused flooding in a wide swath of southern and eastern Spain stretching from Malaga to Valencia Mudcoloured floods sent vehicles tumbling down streets at high speeds while pieces of wood swirled in the water mixed with household items Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from their homes and rubber boats to reach drivers trapped on the roofs of carsSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said dozens of towns had been flooded and warned that the danger is not overldquoFor those who are looking for their loved ones all of Spain feels your painrdquo Sanchez said in a televised address ldquoOur priority is to help you We are putting all the resources necessary so that we can recover from this tragedyrdquo Authorities reported several missing people late Tuesday but the following morning brought the shocking announcement of dozens found deadldquoYesterday was the worst day of my liferdquo Ricardo Gabaldon the mayor of Utiel a town in Valencia told national broadcaster RTVE He said several people were still missing in his townldquoWe were trapped like rats Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets The water was rising to 3 metres 98 feetrdquo he saidOver 1000 soldiers from Spains emergency response units were deployed to the devastated areas Rescue services were also rushing eastwards from other parts of Spain Spains central government set up a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue effortsOne 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 shovelTelevision reports showed videos shot by panicked residents documenting waters flooding the ground floors of apartment buildings streams bursting their banks and bridges giving waySpains national weather service called the rainfall ldquoextraordinaryrdquo with 491 litres per square metre accumulated in eight hours in the Valencian locality of ChivaSpain 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 in which 230 people were killedThe death toll will likely rise with other regions yet to report victims and search efforts continuing in areas with difficult accessIn the village of Letur in the neighbouring Castilla La Mancha region Mayor Sergio Marin Sanchez said six people were missingSpain 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 changeThe prolonged drought has also made it more difficult for the land to absorb high volumes of waterThe storms unleashed a freak hailstorm which punched holes in car windows and greenhouses as well as a rarely seen tornadoTransport was also impacted A highspeed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga although rail authorities said no one was hurt Highspeed train service between Valencia city and Madrid was interrupted as were commuter linesValencian regional President Carlos Mazon urged people to stay at home with travel by road already difficult due to fallen trees and wrecked vehicles Rescue efforts were hampered Mazon said by downed power lines that left areas without electricity while phone lines were jammed with calls He said that the regional emergency service had attended some 30000 callsEuropean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels that the EU will assist by using its Copernicus geomonitoring satellite system ldquoto help coordinate the rescue teamsrdquo The European Union leader said that the bloc stands ready to activate a civil protection mechanism offering the combined assistance of the other 26 member countries should Spain request assistanceldquoEurope is ready to helprdquo Von der Leyen saidAs the waters fell thick layers of mud mixed with refuse made streets unrecognizableldquoThe neighbourhood is destroyed all the cars are on top of each other its literally smashed uprdquo 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 centimeters deeprdquo Outside Vienas bar people were venturing out to see what they could salvage Cars were piled up and the streets were filled with clumps of waterlogged branchesRelatives of the missing filled social media and local television and radio outlets with appeals to find their loved onesLeonardo Enrique told RTVE that his family had been searching for hours for his son Leonardo Enrique Rivera 40 who was driving a delivery van when it began to rain His son had sent a message saying his van was flooding and that he had been hit by another vehicle when he was near Ribarroja an industrial town which is one of the worst affected Enrique saidLocated south of Barcelona down the Mediterranean coast Valencia is a tourist destination known for its beaches citrus orchards and as the home of Spains paella rice dishLike 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 areasThe rain had subsided in Valencia by late Wednesday morning as the storm headed north prompting authorities in the Barcelona region to issue weather alertsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever