Spain: Floods leave 213 dead, king expected on site

King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez are traveling Sunday to southeastern Spain, where massive flooding has killed at least 213 people, the worst natural disaster in the country's recent history according to the government.

On Saturday, Mr. Sanchez announced the dispatch of 5,000 additional soldiers to come to the aid of the victims and participate in the search for the missing, bringing their total strength to 7,500, the “largest deployment of armed forces ever carried out in Spain in peacetime,” according to him.

In addition to these soldiers, there will be 5,000 police officers and civil guards tasked with supporting their 5,000 colleagues already on the ground, according to Mr. Sanchez, reinforcements eagerly awaited in certain localities facing a chaotic situation.

According to the latest report from the emergency services released on Saturday evening, 213 people died as a result of the torrential rains that fell in the south-east of the country during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.

According to the Spanish meteorological agency (Aemet), the equivalent of “a year's worth of rainfall” fell in some areas in a matter of hours.

This deluge is linked to a “cold drop” phenomenon, an isolated depression at high altitude that is quite common in autumn on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, probably aggravated by global warming, according to scientists, a warmer atmosphere that can contain more humidity and make rainfall heavier.

With 210 deaths, the Valencia region was the hardest hit. Two people also died in the neighbouring region of Castile-La Mancha and one in Andalusia.

– Search of car wrecks –

This is “the biggest natural disaster in the recent history of our country,” said Mr. Sanchez, who is accompanying King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia to the affected regions on Sunday.

The formation of a cold drop © AFP – Jean-Michel CORNU, Pauline PAILLASSA

According to the government, a Spanish Navy amphibious ship with operating theatres and carrying helicopters and vehicles is expected in the port of Valencia.

The authorities expect the death toll to rise, while the carcasses of cars piled up in tunnels and underground car parks in the worst-hit areas are now being methodically examined.

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While the chances of finding survivors are diminishing, the priority for soldiers and police remains, according to the government, the search for the missing, with the repair of roads and infrastructure to allow the delivery of aid and the restoration of essential services.

According to authorities, more than 2,000 damaged cars and trucks have already been removed. Electricity has also been restored for 94% of residents who had been without it, and telecommunications are gradually being restored.

– “There is nothing left” –

In the suburbs of Valencia, search and clean-up operations continued on Saturday, in a heavy atmosphere.

Search for bodies in the town of Alfafar, in eastern Spain, on November 2, 2024 © AFP – Manaure QUINTERO

“There is nothing left,” Mario Silvestre, a resident of Chiva “resigned” to the sight of the damage, lamented to AFP.

In his town, where some 17,000 inhabitants live, there are no soldiers, but many civil guards responsible for patrolling the streets where many houses are destroyed. “Politicians promise a lot but the help only arrives when it arrives,” sighs this octogenarian.

On Saturday evening during a press conference, the conservative president of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazon, announced a battery of economic aid and promised the return of order, while acts of looting were reported in several stores, leading to the arrest of 82 people.

A volunteer in a wheelchair distributes food and other basic necessities in Benetusser, in the southeast of Spain, on November 2, 2024 © AFP – Manaure QUINTERO

“There are people who may have felt alone, helpless, unprotected and I understand that,” the elected official acknowledged. But “I want to send a clear message, we are going to help all the homes” that need it, he continued: “we are facing the challenge of our lives and we are going to find the solutions.”

The regional government of Valencia, and Carlos Mazon in particular, are being criticized for having sent a telephone alert message to residents late on Tuesday, while the meteorological services had placed the region on “red alert” since the morning.

Criticism rejected by Mr. Mazon, who assures that he followed the protocol in force and highlighted on Saturday “the spirit of solidarity of the population” of his region in the face of adversity.

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