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Crews searched for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings Thursday as people tried to salvage what they could from their ruined homes following monstrous flash floods in Spain that claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 deaths confirmed in one region alone.
More horrors emerged from the debris and ubiquitous layers of mud left by the walls of water that produced Spain’s most deadly natural disaster in living memory. Officials said Thursday that 155 people were killed by the floods in the hardest-hit region of Valencia.
An unknown number of people are still missing and more victims could be found.
“Unfortunately, there are dead people inside some vehicles,” said Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente.
The widespread damage recalled the aftermath of a hurricane or tsunami.
Train tracks are seen affected by floods in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024
(AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Wrecked vehicles, tree branches, downed power lines and household items all mired in a layer of mud covered the streets of Barrio de la Torre, just one of dozens of towns in the hard-hit region of Valencia, where 92 people died between late Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Walls of rushing water turned narrow streets into death traps and spawned rivers that ripped into the ground floors of homes and swept away cars, people and anything else in its path.
“Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Ricardo Gabaldón, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE on Wednesday. He said six residents perished and more are missing.
“The neighborhood is destroyed, all the cars are on top of each other, it’s literally smashed up,” said Christian Viena, a bar owner in Barrio de la Torre.
A woman looks out from her balcony as vehicles are trapped in the street during flooding in Valencia, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
(AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)
Regional authorities said late Wednesday it appeared there was no one left stranded on rooftops or in cars in need of rescue after helicopters had saved some 70 people. But ground crews and citizens continued to inspect vehicles and homes that were damaged by the onslaught of water.
Over a thousand soldiers from Spain’s emergency rescue units joined regional and local emergency workers in the search for bodies and survivors. The defense minister said that soldiers alone had recovered 22 bodies and rescued 110 people by Wednesday night.
“We are searching house by house,” Ángel Martínez, official of a military emergency unit, told Spain’s national radio broadcaster RNE on Thursday from the town of Utiel, where at least six people died.
People clean their houses affected by floods in Utiel, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is heading to the region to witness the destruction firsthand as the nation starts a three-day period of official mourning Thursday.
“For those who are looking for their loved ones, all of Spain feels your pain,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in a televised address.
Thousands of people were left without water and electricity and hundreds were stranded after their cars were wrecked or roads were blocked. The region remained partly isolated with several roads cut off and train lines interrupted, including the high-speed service to Madrid, which officials say won’t be repaired for several days.
While Valencia took the brunt of the storm, another two casualties were reported in the neighboring Castilla La Mancha region. Southern Andalusia reported one death.
Flooded cars are piled up in Utiel, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
The relative calm of the day after has also given time to reflect and question if authorities could have done more to save lives. The regional government is being criticized for not sending out flood warnings to people’s mobile phones until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, when the flooding had already started in some parts.
Spain 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 that saw 230 people killed.
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.
The prolonged drought has also made it more difficult for the land to absorb high volumes of water.
Members of emergency services and Guardia Civil rescue people trapped in their homes after floods in Letur, Albacete, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024
(Víctor Fernández/Europa Press via AP)
The storms unleashed a freak hailstorm which punched holes in car windows and greenhouses as well as a rarely seen tornado.
Transport was also impacted. 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.
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. But more storms were forecast through Thursday, according to Spain’s national weather service.