Almost 2,000 people remain missing after the worst natural disaster in decades hits eastern parts of the country
The death toll from floods in Spain has surpassed 200, officials reported on Saturday, after record-breaking rainfall in the eastern province of Valencia caused widespread devastation.
It is “reasonable to assume” that the number of victims in Valencia and other parts of the country will rise further, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told radio station Cadena SER on Saturday. Some 1,900 people remain unaccounted for, after floods caused by the extreme weather event known as DANA, he added.
DANA is the Spanish acronym for high-altitude isolated depression, which can cause sustained heavy rains in mountainous areas. This week’s rains started on Monday, and the resulting floods caused bridges to collapse, dragging vehicles away, covering towns in thick mud, and triggering a blackout that affected an estimated 140,000 people.
The scale of destruction is “unprecedented in the country’s history,” Transport Minister Oscar Puente told reporters. It’s “not even close” to what Valencia endured in 1975, when at least 81 people were killed in the province, he added. Transport infrastructure has become significantly denser since the 1950s, and now “the network is practically destroyed,” the official added.
The Paiporta municipality on the southwest outskirts of the city of Valencia was among the hardest-hit. Over 60 deaths were confirmed there, after it was almost completely flooded. The scale of devastation was on full display in satellite images shared by the media.
A weather station in the municipality of Turis reported a downpour of 179.2 liters per square meter in one hour on Wednesday, the national meteorological agency has said. It broke the previous record set in 2018 and was comparable to what the town normally gets in a year, according to Spanish media.
The Spanish interior minister expressed concern over possible looting in flood-hit areas. On Satruday the Spanish Armed Forces announced the deployment of an additional 1,000 troops to respond to the disaster.
Meanwhile, up to 7,000 civilians are expected to arrive throughout the day to help in disaster relief efforts, El Pais newspaper reported, citing Miguel Salvador, head of a Valencian volunteer organization. Over 100,000 people have offered to help, he added.
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