STORY: Death toll from Spain's flash flood rises to at least 158: emergency service
SHOOTING TIME: Oct. 31, 2024
DATELINE: Nov. 1, 2024
LENGTH: 00:03:12
LOCATION: Madrid
CATEGORY: SOCIETY/ENVIRONMENT

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the flood-affected areas
2. various of Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, visiting the affected area

STORYLINE:

The death toll from rain-triggered flash floods in Spain has risen to at least 158, with the number likely to increase in the coming days, according to emergency rescue services in the country on Thursday afternoon.

In Valencia alone, at least 155 fatalities were confirmed from the floods that struck between Tuesday night and Wednesday, the regional authority reported.

In a post on social media platform X, the emergency coordination center of Valencia region stated that rescue workers were still searching for and identifying victims.

Three additional deaths were reported in Andalusia and Castile-La Mancha, according to the regional emergency services.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the Center for Coordinated and Integrated Operations (CECOPI) on Thursday in the Valencia region, warning that the extreme weather responsible for the torrential rain and flash floods is "not over."

CECOPI is overseeing rescue and recovery efforts in Valencia, which experienced its heaviest rainfall since September 1966, with over 400 liters per square meter falling in some areas within just a few hours between Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

The intense rainfall triggered flash floods that swept away people and vehicles, trapped residents inside their homes, and caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure.

TV footage from the Valencia region shows cars stacked atop one another, with major roads linking Valencia to Madrid and Barcelona still impassable. Residents are seen clearing mud from their flooded homes, businesses, and garages, while others, covered in mud, carry belongings salvaged from the debris.

In Paiporta, a small town, authorities have reported 45 fatalities as torrents up to three meters high surged through the streets.

Around 1,000 members of the Spanish Military's Emergency Response Unit have been deployed to the affected areas, assisting in rescue and clean-up operations. Authorities fear that more bodies may be discovered in the coming hours or days.

Meteorologists attribute the torrential rain to a phenomenon known as "isolated high-altitude depression," which occurs when a cold air front crosses the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. While its impacts are often localized, similar events wreaked havoc in 1966 and 1957, with the River Turia overflowing and devastating the city of Valencia.

The government has declared three days of official mourning, while the Spanish Football Federation has confirmed the postponement of all matches in Valencia, including a scheduled game between Valencia and Real Madrid due on Saturday.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Madrid.
(XHTV)