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As the search continued Thursday, Spain’s emergency services confirmed that the death toll had risen to 158 in what’s been called the country’s most catastrophic flood event in decades, with rescuers pressing on to find any who might still be alive.
In the eastern region of Valencia, rescue coordinators reported on Thursday that they had recovered 155 bodies, underscoring the tragedy’s significant impact on this part of Spain.
Officials in both Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia have confirmed a combined total of three deaths in their regions, further illustrating the widespread devastation caused by the flooding.
As reported by AFP, an exceptionally fierce Mediterranean storm descended on Tuesday, bringing heavy rains and surging muddy waters that tore through communities, sweeping away people and demolishing houses, with the eastern region of Valencia hit hardest.
Given that parts of the affected regions are still inaccessible and many individuals are unaccounted for, officials warned on Wednesday that the preliminary death toll of 95 would likely increase.
“Please, stay at home and follow the calls of the emergency services,” pleaded Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
“Right now the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible,” Sanchez told residents of the eastern Valencia and Castellon provinces.
King Felipe VI warned the emergency was “still not over” and national weather service AEMET put parts of eastern and southern regions on high alert levels for rain on Thursday.
Flags flew at half-mast on government buildings and minutes of silence were observed nationwide at the start of three days of national mourning after Spain’s deadliest floods in decades.
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A resident of a suburb of Valencia city, Eliu Sanchez, recalled how the merciless currents snatched a man who tried to take refuge in a car.
“I have been told of people who were clinging to trees, but the force made them let go and they were carried away, calling for help. Trucks, everything was going from here to there,” said Sanchez, 32.
Emergency services backed by drones and more than 1,200 troops combed mud-caked towns and villages to find survivors and clear roads of debris.
Abandoned vehicles lay piled on top of each other like dominoes and some residents grabbed planks of wood to plough through layers of thick, sticky mud, AFP journalists reported in the Valencia region.
In Paiporta, a suburb of Valencia city at the epicentre of the damage, 27-year-old musician David Romero lamented a “catastrophe”.
