Flash floods in eastern Spain claim over 150 lives

Devastating flash floods in eastern Spain have killed more than 150 people as of Oct 31. Rescue teams are still searching for missing individuals. This disaster could potentially become the worst storm-related tragedy in Europe in over 50 years.

"There's a total of 158 people, to which dozens and dozens more missing must be added," said Angel Victor Torres, minister in charge of cooperation with Spain's regions. Parts of the Valencia region experienced eight hours of rain on Oct 29—enough to last an entire year.

The catastrophe is already the largest flood-related calamity in modern Spanish history, and according to meteorologists, human-caused climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of such extreme weather conditions.

“On Oct 31, rescue teams discovered the bodies of eight people, including a local policeman, who had been trapped in a garage on the outskirts of the city of Valencia,” said Mayor Maria Jose Catala.

On Oct 31, thousands of people crossed a pedestrian bridge over the Turia River from La Torre into Valencia city center, pulling shopping trolleys or carrying bags to restock on necessities like water and toilet paper.

In response to allegations from opposition MPs that the central government in Madrid was moving too slowly to alert citizens and dispatch rescue crews, the Interior Ministry stated that regional authorities were in charge of civil protection measures.

"Those people wouldn't have died if they had been warned in time," said Laura Villaescusa, the manager of a local supermarket.

Maribel Albalat, the mayor of Paiporta, claimed that residents were not informed of the imminent floods. She reported 62 deaths in her town.

"We found many elderly people inside their homes and others who went to get their cars. It was a trap," she said.

Antonio Molina, a resident of Godelleta, described how he survived by clinging to a pillar on a neighbor's porch on Oct 29 as the water reached his neck.

The floods have devastated Valencia's infrastructure, destroying bridges, highways, and train tracks while submerging farmland in a region that produces almost two-thirds of Spain's citrus products, which the country sells globally.

According to Transport Minister Oscar Puente, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) of highways in the eastern region have been significantly damaged or rendered impassable, many obstructed by abandoned vehicles.

"Unfortunately, there are dead bodies in some vehicles," Puente said, adding that it would take two to three weeks to re-establish the high-speed train connection between Valencia and Madrid.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged people to stay at home while visiting a rescue coordination center near Valencia, citing the potential for more storms.

"Right now, the most important thing is to safeguard as many lives as possible," he said.

The Magro River overflowed its banks in the severely damaged rural town of Utiel, causing up to three meters (9.8 feet) of water to flood primarily one-story residences.

Ricardo Gabaldon, the mayor of Utiel, said that at least six people died in the roughly 12,000-person town, most of whom were elderly or disabled and unable to rush to safety.

On Oct 31, residents began cleaning up using water pumps pulled by tractors, while children assisted in sweeping the sidewalks.

Pope Francis said he was praying for the people of the region. "I'm close to them in this moment of catastrophe," he said in a video posted on X.

A low-pressure system that caused Spain's floods has drawn on an "atmospheric river" that transports excess moisture from the abnormally warm Tropical Atlantic, according to a report released on Oct 31 by the research group Climate Central.

According to the Climate Shift Index: Ocean, human-caused climate change has increased the likelihood of raised sea surface temperatures by at least 50 to 300 times.

In 2021, severe floods in Germany claimed the lives of at least 185 people. Before that, floods in Portugal in 1967 killed about 500 people, and in Romania in 1970, 209 people died.