Dozens dead in southeastern Spain as flash floods swept away walls and cars

CNN
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At least 62 people have died in flash floods in southeastern Spain, the regional government of Valencia said on Wednesday. Many people were unable to reach safety as large amounts of rain flooded buildings and rendered highways unusable.

In some places in the south and east of Spain it rained up to 30 cm within a few hours on Tuesday.

Footage from the city of Valencia showed muddy water flowing through the streets, tearing down walls and sweeping away parked cars.

In towns near rivers such as Utiel and Paiporta, water poured onto the streets, CNN en Español reported. Vans, cars and garbage cans were swept away by currents that sometimes reached the first floors of buildings.

The sheer amount of rain that fell came as a surprise to many, leaving people trapped in their basements or first floors, unable to reach safety.

There was chaos in the region, with most highways completely unusable on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. Vehicles left behind in traffic were picked up by the water and moved around.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday his government would use all necessary means to help flood victims and urged people to remain vigilant.

Valencia regional director Carlos Mazón told reporters earlier on Wednesday that some bodies had been found as rescue teams began reaching areas previously cut off by the floods, adding: “Out of respect for the families, we will not reveal any further details.” “

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles called the flooding an “unprecedented phenomenon,” CNN en Español reported. Robles said more than 1,000 military personnel had been deployed to support rescue efforts.

The death toll is expected to rise as authorities said current figures were “preliminary”.

Mazón also urged residents of the provinces of Valencia and Castellón to avoid traveling by road.

On Wednesday, residents were threatened with extensive clean-up work and the search for bodies as well as the risk of further rainstorms.

A resident from one of the affected towns, Antonio Carmona, described to CNN what happened when the floods hit. “When we stopped by here, we saw everything going down. (The water) took away cars, it destroyed half of one of our neighbors’ house.”

Pointing to his torn clothing, Carmona said he and others had rescued dogs affected by the flooding.

According to Spanish newspaper El País, a woman named Beatriz Garrote was on her way home from work in the Valencia town of Torrent on Tuesday evening when she, along with other motorists, became trapped by rising water on a stretch of the ring road for several hours.

“I passed the first exit that led to Paiporta, but it was closed because we were told that the city there was flooded and we couldn't exit,” she said, El Pais reported. She said her car then got stuck, “and suddenly the two lanes closest to the exit started flooding.”

She described feeling “very scared” as the water level rose rapidly. “I didn’t know where it came from or what was happening. The water began to rise very quickly.

“After 10 minutes the wheel of the car was already halfway up. One of the volunteers told us to turn the cars around, but there was no way to get out.”

During the entire month of October, the Valencia region receives an average of 77 millimeters (3.03 inches) of rain.

According to the European Severe Weather Database, 320 millimeters (12.6 inches) of rain fell in Chiva, east of Valencia, in just over four hours.

Flooding was also reported in and around the cities of Murcia and Malaga, with more than 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain falling in some areas.

The human-caused climate crisis is causing extreme weather events to become more frequent and severe, scientists say.

As the world warms due to fossil fuel pollution, the heaviest rains are becoming heavier and more frequent. Hotter oceans lead to stronger storms, and a warmer atmosphere can retain more moisture, which it expresses in the form of torrential rain.

According to Spanish weather agency AEMET, rain warnings are in effect for parts of eastern and southern Spain until Wednesday, with the risk of heavy rain expected to continue until the end of the week.

CNN's Antoinette Radford, Vasco Cotovio and Laura Paddison contributed to this report.

This is a developing story and has been updated.