Spain mourns as death toll passes 150 in catastrophic floods
SMA NEWS – Valencia
At least 158 people have died in Spain’s worst flooding disaster in generations as rescuers battle odds to find survivors.
On Thursday more than 1,200 workers, aided by drones, were deployed to the rescue mission as rains continued to threaten parts of the country.
“Right now the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told victims in a visit to affected communities.
But in some of the towns worst- hit in Tuesday night’s floods, people were left to the task of recovering bodies from the mud and wreckage.
A least 155 deaths were recorded in Valencia, while another two have been recorded in Castilla-La Mancha to the province’s west, and another, a British man, in Andalusia.
In the town of Paiporta, Valencia where a river burst its banks, at least 40 deaths have been recorded so far.
“We all know someone who has died,” said pharmacist Miguel Guerrilla, standing outside his chemist shop which has been covered in thick mud.
“It’s a nightmare.”
On Thursday, the BBC saw undertakers and funeral vans retrieving bodies from the street, while on nearby roads, cars swept away by the storm surge were piled on top of each other.
Motorists have recounted the horror of being trapped by the surging tides on Tuesday which turned highways and streets into rivers – many who survived climbed trees or bridges to escape.
The force of the floods swept cars away – residents are having to deal with the clean up
Officials haven’t disclosed the number of people still missing but said there are “many”, as the toll rose by about another 60 deaths on Thursday.
More than 90 deaths were recorded on Wednesday alone in the immediate aftermath of the torrential rains and flash floods, which largely affected Valencia, as well as Castilla-La Mancha in Andalusia, and as far south as Malaga.
The town of Chiva near Valencia received the equivalent of one year’s rainfall in just eight hours according to the Spanish meteorological agency Aemet.
As further rain warnings were issued for the south and east of the country on Thursday, King Felipe VI warned the emergency was “still not over” and PM Sánchez warned citizens to take shelter where necessary.
