At least 72 persons have died in Spain following a torrential rain in the the eastern region of Valencia on Tuesday, causing a devastating flood in the country.
The number of deceased persons has continued to rise with Spanish newspaper, El Pais confirming 70 deaths, siting government authorities, in addition to two deaths announced by other local sources.
The government said rescue operation began immediately, as people rescued were taken to safe spots; though the flood made it impossible to reach some areas, where power lines and phone networks are cut off.
Meteorologists said this year’s rainfall which the deadliest in three years was as a result of an eight-hour nonstop rainfall. A footage uploaded to social media showed the water dragging cars through streets and leaving people clinging to trees.
The regional leader of Valencia, Carlos Mazon, said some people remained isolated in inaccessible locations.
“If (emergency services) have not arrived, it’s not due to a lack of means or predisposition, but a problem of access,” Mazon told a press conference, adding that reaching certain areas was “absolutely impossible”.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promised to rebuild infrastructure that had been destroyed and said in a televised address: “For those who at this moment are still looking for their loved ones, the whole of Spain weeps with you.”
Meanwhile, Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Victor Torres, announced three days of mourning, from Thursday to Sunday, to remember the victims of the flood.
The death toll appeared to be the worst in Europe from flooding since 2021 when almost 200 people died, mainly in Germany.
Scientists say climate change plays a key role in the extreme weather events in the region while Meteorologists think the warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, makes the torrential rains more severe.
It is the worst flood-related catastrophe in Spain since 1996, when 87 people died and 180 were injured in a flash flood near Biesca in the Pyrenees.
Death Toll In Spanish Flood Rises To 72 is first published on The Whistler Newspaper