The severe rains affecting the Southern European country of Spain have led to the deadliest flood disaster since 1973. The number of casualties has risen to 205, prompting the declaration of a national mourning period for three days in the country. Experts have issued warnings for even worse disasters. Search efforts for dozens of missing individuals are ongoing, with an expected increase in the death toll. Satellite images vividly showcase the extent of the disaster. Spain has been rocked by the deadliest flood and inundation disasters in recent history.
The Valencia region received the amount of rainfall it typically gets in a year within just eight hours, resulting in at least 205 deaths. Spain has declared a three-day mourning period.
The country is now trying to recover from the disaster. It was reported that dozens of individuals went missing in the areas worst hit by the disaster in Valencia region.
While Spanish rescue teams continue to search for those still missing, worse weather forecasts have led to a storm warning issued in the north.
Local authorities have not disclosed the number of individuals they have yet to hear from. On the other hand, 11 people who were looting commercial areas affected by the flood were detained by the Civil Guard, and four of them received prison sentences. Efforts to identify the bodies in the devastated areas resulting from the most deadly flood disaster in Europe in recent years are ongoing.
50 mobile morgues have been taken to the region. Defense Minister Margarita Robles stated that the death toll could increase.
In addition, in La Liga, the Valencia-Real Madrid and Villarreal-Rayo Vallecano matches and three second division matches were postponed. The scale of the catastrophe is also evident in satellite images.
Here are the before and after satellite photos of Valencia… Bridges, roads, railways, and buildings collapsed as rivers overflowed due to flooding.
Minister of Transport Oscar Puente stated that about 80 kilometers of roads in the eastern region have been severely damaged or rendered impassable.
Many roads have been blocked by abandoned cars. Approximately two-thirds of the oranges grown in Spain are produced in Valencia, yet the agricultural lands there have been submerged. Hopes of finding survivors are diminishing on the third day of the disaster.
Equipped with drones and rescue teams with dogs, authorities who still believe there are dozens of missing people are advancing in the water, searching through debris.
In addition to the 1,200 soldiers already in the field for search, rescue, and logistical tasks, the government has sent an additional 500 soldiers to the disaster-stricken areas. While about 75,000 homes remain without electricity, firefighters are extracting fuel from abandoned cars to power generators and provide electricity to homes. An example of this effort was seen in a firefighter from the Andalusia region in the south who traveled to Valencia, carrying a plastic tube and empty bottles in the vehicle’s trunk to collect gasoline, stating to Reuters, “We are going around from car to car, looking for any gasoline we can find.” The tragedy has now been recorded as the largest flood disaster in Spain’s modern history.
Meteorologists note that human-induced climate change is making such extreme weather events more frequent and destructive. European officials pointed out that the devastating flood disaster in Spain serves as a reminder of the self-harming effects of human destruction of nature, urging delegates at the UN Conference on Biodiversity in Colombia to take action.
European Commission representative Florika Fink-Hooijer stated that the disaster in Valencia emphasized the connection between biodiversity loss and human-induced climate change.