CNN
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Severe flash floods have killed at least 95 people in Spain, authorities said Wednesday, and emergency responders were busy searching for dozens of people missing.
Spain’s Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory Angel Victor Torres said 92 people were killed in the hardest-hit Valencia region. Two other people died in Castilla-La Mancha and one in Andalusia.
Several parts of southern and eastern Spain were hit with up to 12 inches of rain in just a few hours on Tuesday, the country’s worst rainfall total. Valencia for the first time in 28 years, according to the state meteorological bureau AEMET.
Emergency services in regions including Valencia, Malaga city and Castilla-La Mancha said they were still working to search for dozens of missing people.
Castilla-La Mancha regional government president Emiliano García-Page likened the deluge to a levee burst. “It wasn’t a downpour, it was like a dam bursting,” Garcia-Page told Spanish state broadcaster TVE. “People have been calling [emergency numbers] I cried and begged for help, but it was almost impossible to reach them. ”
The hard-hit Valencia region was thrown into chaos, with most highways completely out of service on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. A vehicle abandoned in a traffic jam was brought to the surface and moved.
A courthouse in the regional capital, Valencia, has been turned into a temporary morgue amid fears the death toll could rise, local authorities said.
At least 40 people, six of them nursing home residents, were killed in Valencia’s Paiporta town, Spanish state news agency EFE reported, citing the mayor.
Videos posted by rescue agencies on Wednesday showed entire roads flooded, people stranded on roofs and cars piled up and overturned.
EFE, citing Spain’s Guardia Civil news agency, said around 1,200 people are still believed to be trapped in various parts of Valencia’s motorway, and 5,000 vehicles are blocked due to the surging floodwaters. Reported.
Train services have been suspended in the Valencia region, and major public services have also been suspended in other affected areas. Schools, museums and public libraries in the Valencia region will be closed on Thursday, according to the local government.
A 71-year-old British man died of hypothermia in Malaga, Andalusia, Mayor Francisco de la Torre said.
Survivors and families of the missing spoke to TVE about the terrifying downpour. “It was painful. We went to the roof when we saw the water rising and reaching the first floor of the house,” one resident told TVE. “We were on the roof until 4 a.m.” [11 p.m. ET Tuesday]. There was no water and it was cold. The helicopter finally arrived. ”
“Everything was destroyed, but at least we’re here to say it.” [the story]” she added.
Petrta Sandu’s family was also caught by surprise by the sudden flood. The last time she spoke to her parents was late Tuesday night, when she was trapped on the roof of her car with water gushing around her.
“We don’t know anything about our parents since 10pm last night,” she told TVE. “My brother-in-law walked nearly 7 kilometers.” [over 4 miles] They waded through knee-deep water and searched for a helicopter and vehicle, but couldn’t find anyone. We don’t know where our parents are. ”
Water overflowed onto roads in towns near the river, including Utiel and Paiporta, CNN Spanish reported. Vans, cars and trash cans were swept away by the ocean currents, in some cases reaching the first floors of buildings.
AEMET reports that the “cold air fall” that caused the flooding is the worst Valencia has experienced this century, but adds that it is too early to tell whether climate change is to blame. The term “cold drop” refers to a pool of cold air high above the atmosphere. It separates from the jet stream and slows the jet stream, which can often lead to high-impact rainfall events. This phenomenon is most common in autumn.
The heavy rain left many people by surprise, with some trapped in basements and ground floors, unable to safely evacuate.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Wednesday that the government would take all necessary measures to help flood victims and urged the public to remain vigilant. He is scheduled to visit Valencia on Thursday.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles described the flooding as an “unprecedented phenomenon,” CNN Spanish reported. Robles said more than 1,000 military personnel were deployed to assist in rescue efforts.
The Spanish government has ordered three days of official mourning for flood victims starting Thursday.
Antonio Carmona, a local resident of one of the affected towns, told CNN what happened during the floods. “When we looked here, we saw everything collapsed. (The water) engulfed the car and half of our neighbor’s house was washed away.”
Carmona pointed to torn clothes and said he and others were rescuing dogs caught in the floodwaters.
According to Spanish newspaper El Pais, Beatriz Garrote was driving home from work in the Valencia city of Trento on Tuesday night when she found herself trapped along with other motorists on a flooded ring road for several hours.
“I passed the first exit to Paiporta, but it was closed because the city was flooded and I couldn’t get out,” she said, as reported by El Pais newspaper. Cars were then stuck and “the two lanes closest to the exit suddenly started flooding,” she said.
She said it was “very scary” as water levels rose rapidly. “I didn’t know where it was coming from or what was going on. The water started rising very quickly.
“Ten minutes later, the steering wheel of the car was halfway up. One of the volunteers told us to turn the car around, but there was no way out.”
Scientists say the human-induced climate crisis is making extreme weather events more frequent and severe.
As the world warms due to fossil fuel pollution, the heaviest rains are becoming heavier and more frequent. As the ocean warms, storms become stronger, and as the atmosphere warms, it retains more water, which is squeezed out in the form of torrential rain.
Rainfall warnings will remain in place for parts of eastern and southern Spain until Wednesday, and the threat of heavy rain is expected to continue into the weekend, AEMET said.
This story has been updated with the latest developments.
