LAST UPDATE | 30 Oct
THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT has declared three days of mourning from tomorrow after at least 95 people were killed in disastrous floods in the south and east of the country.
Flash floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted rail lines and highways.
The reported death toll rose to 95 people this evening, increasing from a previous count of 74.
The toll is likely to rise further because “there are many missing people”, government minister Angel Victor Torres told public broadcaster TVE.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke with the country’s King Felipe about the official days of mourning after strong rainstorms caused the worst extreme weather event to hit the nation in recent memory.
According to the European Severe Weather Database, a month’s worth of rainfall fell in some areas within a matter of hours.
Floods of mud-coloured water tumbled vehicles down streets at frightening speeds.
Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from their homes and cars.
High-speed train service between Valencia city and Madrid was interrupted, as were several commuter lines. One train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no-one was hurt.
The extreme flooding aligns with growing instability caused by climate change.
As the climate crisis worsens, extreme weather events are becoming more likely, more frequent, and more severe.
To stop it, the world needs to collectively reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases, which are trapping heat inside the atmosphere and forcing average global temperatures upwards, destabilising the climate.
In 2021, 230 people were killed in severe floods in Germany and Belgium.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said the Department of Foreign Affairs was available to help “any Irish citizen who may have been caught up in these floods” over the past 24 hours.
Martin told reporters in Dublin this morning the floods were an example of the “worsening climate” and pointed to a need for “stronger adaptation across Europe and within Ireland” as well.
Taoiseach Simon Harris has said the Irish government “will help in any way we can” following the disaster.
“On behalf of Ireland, I send our deepest sympathies and solidarity to the people of Spain,” Harris said on social media.
On behalf of Ireland, I send our deepest sympathies & solidarity to the people of Spain and PM @sanchezcastejon after the horrific floods and loss of life overnight.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) October 30, 2024
Ireland will help in any way we can, including through EU structures.
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union was “ready to help” after flooding left dozens dead in Spain’s eastern Valencia region.
“What we are seeing is devastating,” von der Leyen told a news conference.
“We have activated our Copernicus satellite system to help coordinate the rescue teams, and we have already offered to activate our civil protection mechanism.”
More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units were deployed to the devastated areas.
“Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Ricardo Gabaldon, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE.
He said several people were still missing in his town.
“We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to three metres,” he said.
Christian Viena, a bar owner in the Valencian village of Barrio de la Torre, said: “The neighbourhood is destroyed, all the cars are on top of each other, it’s literally smashed up.”
“Everything is a total wreck, everything is ready to be thrown away. The mud is almost 30 centimetres deep,” Viena said.
Spain has experienced autumn storms in recent years but nothing compared to the devastation over the last two days.
The death toll could easily rise with other regions yet to report victims and search efforts continuing in areas with difficult access.
In the village of Letur in the neighbouring Castilla La Mancha region, mayor Sergio Marin Sanchez said six people were missing.
Storms are forecast to continue through tomorrow, according to Spain’s national weather service.
Rescuers have been working to help people trapped by floodwaters.
Around 200 people rescued overnight by emergency services are being sheltered in fire stations.
“Several hundred people” were trapped on two motorways in the Valencia region as of earlier today, according to fire service chief Jose Miguel Basset.
The head of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazon, told reporters there were no longer people to save from roofs or terraces through aerial means.
Emergency services carried out 200 rescues on the ground and 70 aerial evacuations throughout the day, he said.
With additional reporting by Mairead Maguire, Lauren Boland, Press Association and AFP
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