Flood horror in Spain: 62 dead, thousands without power
The residents of Paiporta, located in the province of Valencia, say there was no warning. At least 62 people have died in the town due to the floods. "It's like a zombie apocalypse you see in movies," the flood victims, quoted by The Guardian, assess.
9:13 PM EDT, November 1, 2024
Many municipalities in the Valencian community— the part of Spain most affected by the flood —are without drinking water, and about 100,000 people have no electricity, reports the newspaper El Mundo. Transport in the province is paralyzed; access roads are still closed, and the authorities recommend not using any roads there. The high-speed rail connection with Madrid is expected to resume in a few days.
This is the most serious natural disaster in Spain since 1973, when heavy rains devastated several cities in Murcia and Andalusia in the south of the country, leading to the deaths of nearly 300 people, notes El Mundo.
Flood in Spain. "No warning."
One of the destroyed places is the city of Paiporta, which has a population of over 24,000. Here, according to The Guardian reports, 62 people have died. The residents are furious because, in their opinion, there was no official warning about the impending disaster.
"Everything is destroyed. It's like a zombie apocalypse you see in movies," said Cardona Teruel in a phone interview with the newspaper. Teruel, a resident of Paiporta, set off on foot to Valencia with his wife and daughter.
"There was no warning," confirmed the city's mayor, Maribel Albalat. The local authorities claim that no prior information was given that the approaching storm would be much stronger than usual. In fear of flooding their garages, residents went downstairs to move their cars to higher ground. That’s when the flood wave hit them. Lourdes María García and her three-month-old child died there. Her partner, who was in the car, pulled the family out and moved them to a safe place. The current swept the man away.
There was a flood in a local care home while residents were having lunch. Videos posted online showed them screaming as water invaded inside, and staff frantically waded knee-deep to move the residents to higher floors. Although most were saved, six people died, according to a report from The Guardian.
Since Thursday, Spain is observing three days of mourning, declared the day before by the government of Pedro Sanchez. The Prime Minister, along with the opposition People's Party (PP) leader, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, is heading to the crisis coordination center in Valencia on Thursday.
