By Lauren Kent, Sophie Tanno, Taylor Ward and Mauricio Torres, CNN
Persons climb on piled up cars following floods in Sedavi, south of Valencia, eastern Spain, on October 30, 2024. Photo: AFP / JOSE JORDAN
At least 95 people have been killed by severe flash floods in Spain, according to authorities, as emergency responders scramble to find dozens of missing people.
In the worst affected region of Valencia, 92 people were killed, according to Angel Victor Torres, Spain's Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory. Two others died in Castile-La-Mancha, and one person in Andalusia.
Among the dead is a 71-year-old British man who died from hypothermia in Malaga, according to the city's mayor, Francisco de la Torre.
Authorities said they are working to identify the victims.
This comes after several locations in southern and eastern Spain received up to 300mm of rain in just a few hours on Tuesday, in what marked the worst rainfall in Valencia in 28 years, according to state weather agency AEMET.
People walk through flooded streets in Valencia. Photo: ALberto Saiz/AP via CNN Newsource
The Valencia region was thrown into a state of chaos, with most highways becoming completely unusable on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Vehicles that had been left abandoned in traffic were picked up by the water and moved around.
Videos posted by several rescue agencies on Wednesday show entire streets flooded, people stuck on rooftops and cars piled up and flipped over. Emergency services in Valencia, Malaga, and Castile-La-Mancha, among other regions, said they were still working on finding dozens of missing people.
Trains between Madrid and the region's capital, also called Valencia, have been suspended, as have other major public services in other affected regions. Schools, museums, and public libraries in the Valencia region will be closed, according to the local government.
Footage from the city of Valencia on Tuesday showed muddy water flooding through the streets, tearing down walls and sweeping away parked cars.
In towns close to rivers such as Utiel or Paiporta, water spilled onto the streets, CNN en Español reported. Vans, cars and garbage cans were swept away by currents that, in some cases, reached the first floor of buildings.
AEMET reports that the "cold drop" that caused the flooding is the worst Valencia has experienced this century, but adds that it is too early to tell if climate change is to blame. The term "cold drop" refers to a pool of cooler air high in the atmosphere, which can separate from the jet stream, causing it to move slowly and often lead to high-impact rainfall events. The phenomenon is most common in autumn.
A Civil Protection member carries a child in a street covered in mud in a flooded area in Picanya, near Valencia, eastern Spain, on October 30, 2024. Photo: AFP / JOSE JORDAN
The sheer amount of rain that fell meant many were taken by surprise, with people finding themselves trapped in their basements or first floors and unable to get to safety.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday local time that his government would use all means necessary to help victims of the floods, as he asked people to remain vigilant. He is set to visit Valencia on Thursday.
A man walks in a street covered in mud in a flooded area in Picanya, near Valencia, eastern Spain, on October 30, 2024. Photo: AFP / JOSE JORDAN
Valencia's regional leader Carlos Mazón told reporters earlier on Wednesday that some bodies were found as rescue teams began to reach areas previously cut off by the floods, adding, "Out of respect for the families we are not going to give any more details."
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles described the flooding as an "unprecedented phenomenon," CNN en Español reported. Robles said that more than 1000 members of the military had been deployed to assist in rescue efforts.
The Spanish government has decreed three days of official mourning for victims of the flooding, starting on Thursday.
Mazón also urged residents in the provinces of Valencia and Castellón to avoid travelling by road.
Residents on Wednesday were facing a huge clean-up and searching for bodies, as well as the threat of more rainstorms.
- CNN