At least 62 people have died following catastrophic flooding in eastern Spain, with Valencia bearing the brunt of the crisis as torrential rains battered the region, unleashing a year’s worth of rain in just eight hours, Cape {town} Etc reports.
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Streets across Valencia were transformed into rushing torrents, damaging infrastructure, sweeping vehicles from roads and prompting widespread rescue efforts, according to emergency service sources reported by BBC News.
Videos circulated on social media show bridges collapsing and people clinging to trees to escape floodwaters.
King Felipe VI has expressed his ‘heartfelt condolences’ and warned of ‘enormous destruction’ to Spain’s infrastructure, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged citizens to remain vigilant.
The government has deployed over 1 000 troops to assist local police, firefighters and the Military Emergency Unit (UME) with ongoing rescue operations as hundreds of people remain trapped and unaccounted for.
Regional leader Carlos Mazón remarked on the ‘impossibility’ of reaching all those in need, as access to some flooded areas remains limited.
As reported by El Pais, heavy rains led to extensive power outages impacting 155 000 people, and severe travel disruptions.
Rail services remain suspended on major routes between Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. The state rail company, Renfe, confirmed that high-speed services connecting Valencia to several Spanish cities were halted, with similar suspensions affecting commuter and long-distance trains across eastern Spain.
Air traffic has also been severely disrupted; with at least 49 flights diverted across Spain, including those at major hubs in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona.
The storm, driven by the notorious gota fría – literally translated as the ‘cold drop,’ a sudden plunge in temperatures along Spain’s east coast caused by the arrival of frigid polar air – brought the heaviest rains the region has seen in decades.
The Spanish State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) likened the event to historic floods in 1987 and 1982.
The storm’s trajectory has shifted northward, with continued impacts expected in the eastern provinces.
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Picture: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno / Gallo Images
