In Spain, specifically in the eastern region of Valencia, a devastating flood caused by heavy rain has claimed the lives of at least 72 people, making it the most severe flooding the country has seen in 30 years.
Meteorologists reported that on Tuesday, parts of Valencia received a year’s worth of rainfall within just 8 hours, leading to major incidents such as a series of collisions on highways and the inundation of farmland. Spain is the world’s largest exporter of citrus fruits, with Valencia alone contributing two-thirds of the country’s total citrus production.
Residents in the hardest-hit areas described harrowing scenes of flooding, where swift brown waters surged through streets, uprooting trees and carrying away large bricks from buildings.
“One river just swept in,” said Denis Hlavaty, who works at a gas station in the capital of Valencia, currently awaiting rescue on a windowsill. “Doors were knocked down, and I spent the night there (on the windowsill) with water around me that was 2 meters (6.5 feet) deep,” he recounted.
On Tuesday, flooding invaded the ground floor of the largest shopping center, Bonaire, in Valencia City, trapping around 600 people. Areas like Turis and Utiel saw rainfall levels reaching 200 millimeters.
The mayor of Utiel, Ricardo Gabaldón, described the catastrophic situation, saying, “Yesterday was the most tragic day of my life. Cars and rubbish bins were rolling down the streets, with floodwaters rising up to 3 meters high.”
In the eastern region of Valencia, intense flash floods occurred due to heavy rainfall, leading to a high-speed train derailment near the southern city of Malaga with 276 passengers on board, fortunately resulting in no injuries.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez pledged to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure, expressing solidarity with those still searching for missing loved ones in a televised address.
Emergency services filmed scenes from helicopters showing collapsed bridges, submerged fields, and cars and trucks stacked among floodwaters on highways outside of Valencia. Train services to Madrid and Barcelona were canceled due to the floods, with schools and essential services in the hardest-hit areas temporarily suspended.
Iberdrola’s power subsidiary, i-DE, reported around 150,000 customers in Valencia without electricity. Military units have been deployed to assist local emergency responders in rescue operations, and citizens have been urged to avoid travel on all roads.
Some regions in Valencia, such as Turis, Chiva, and Bunol, saw rainfall exceeding 400 millimeters. The State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, issued a red alert on Tuesday, which was later downgraded to yellow as the rainfall reduced on Wednesday.
Flooding also affected other parts of Spain, including the Andalusia region in the south. Weather forecasters warned of more severe weather as the storm moved northeast.
The meteorological department in Catalonia issued a red alert for the Barcelona surroundings, predicting strong winds and hail, while AEMET placed Jerez in Andalusia under a red warning.
Antonio Carmona, a construction worker and resident of Alora in the southern region, lamented the losses saying, “The floods took away many dogs, many horses, and everything.”
The death toll from the flooding caused by the torrential rains marks the deadliest flood-related incident in Europe since 2021, when at least 185 people died in Germany.
This event stands as the gravest flooding disaster in Spain since 1996, when a small town near the Pyrenees Mountains witnessed 87 fatalities.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, expressed readiness to provide assistance for the devastation in Spain, stating, “What we see in Spain is devastating.”
ASAJA, one of Spain’s largest agricultural organizations, projected severe crop damages following the floods.
According to data from the Economic Complexity Observatory, Spain is the world’s largest exporter of fresh and dried oranges. Valencia alone contributes to 60% of Spain’s citrus production, according to the Valencia Agricultural Research Institute.
Scientists attribute the increasing frequency of extreme weather events in Europe to climate change. Meteorologists point out that the warming Mediterranean region leads to increased evaporation, a key factor in intensifying heavy rainfall events.
“Events of this magnitude used to occur once every few decades, but now they are becoming more frequent and destructive,” noted Ernesto Rodriguez Camino, a senior meteorologist with the Spanish Meteorological Association.