Flooding caused by torrential rain and hail has left at least 95 people dead in the Spanish region of Valencia and two neighboring regions. The government has declared three days of mourning.
Regional Prime Minister Carlos Mason said rescue operations were continuing in the affected areas and it was not yet possible to establish the exact number of deaths.
In the province of Valencia, 92 people have died, according to the latest figures, two people have died in the province of Castilla-La Mancha, and another body has been found in the province of Andalusia, south of Valencia.
Local media also reported damage and possible casualties in the Balearic Islands.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced that more than 1,000 troops and helicopters had been sent to help rescuers.
Many residents are still missing, and TV and radio stations are receiving hundreds of calls from people who are stranded by flooding, worried about missing relatives and waiting for help.
So far, the number of victims in the current floods in the history of Spain is second only to the floods of 1973, when about 150 people died in three southern provinces.
Spain’s King Felipe VI said he was shocked by the scale of the floods and sent “heartfelt condolences” to the families and friends of the victims on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
As a representative of the Letur Milagros Tolon municipality told the Spanish public television channel TVE, rescuers are using drones to search for missing people in the most inaccessible places of the municipality.
The police have also opened a hotline asking for reports of missing people.
The authorities have recommended that residents of some affected areas do not leave their homes.
“Almost all the main and secondary roads are closed,” said government official Pilar Bernabe, “so the requirement not to go outside is not just a recommendation, it is a necessary guarantee of the safety of people cut off by the floods and those who are going to help them.” Rail traffic has been cut off in the affected regions, with some trains derailed by flooding.
According to Spanish meteorologists, the city of Chiva, west of Valencia, has received 491 mm of rain in just eight hours, roughly equivalent to a year’s worth.
Videos have been posted on social media showing bridges and cars being washed away by the floodwaters, with some videos showing people climbing trees to escape the flooding.
More than 150,000 homes in Valencia have been left without power after strong winds knocked down power lines.
Electricity supplier Iberdrola said restoration work could take some time due to the bad weather conditions.
Some flights scheduled to land in Valencia have been cancelled or diverted to other regions. Train service has also been completely cut off in the Spanish region.
Dozens of Valencian residents waited overnight in their cars, as well as on rooftops and bridges, local media reported.
“We are facing an unprecedented situation that no one can remember,” said regional government head Carlos Mason.
The day before, authorities said at least seven people were missing in Valencia and the southeastern province of Albacete.
Spain’s state meteorological agency AEMET issued a heightened alert for Valencia and parts of Andalusia.
Valencia City Hall said that schools and sporting events would be cancelled on Wednesday and city parks would remain closed.
Climate experts say the current flooding is a combination of factors, but the gradually warming atmosphere as a result of global warming increases the likelihood of such disasters.
