Spain floods latest: Deaths soar over 200 in Valencia amid fresh fears of flooding and new rain alert issued

The tragedy has unleashed a wave of solidarity across Spain, with hundreds of residents arriving on foot in the worst affected areas, carrying water, essential products, shovels and brooms to help remove the mud.

The number of people coming to help is so high that the authorities have asked them not to drive or walk there, because they are blocking the roads needed by the emergency services.

“It is very important that you return home,” said regional president Carlos Mazïn, who thanked the volunteers for their goodwill.

Other than volunteer contributions, local governments have begun distributing water, food and basic products in schools, town halls and sports venues.

The Red Cross used its vast network of aid to help those affected by the floods. Since Tuesday, it has carried out more than 3,500 interventions, half of them in 13 of the shelters set up by the authorities, to distribute food, blankets and hygiene products, and to provide internet access.

So far, 205 bodies have been recovered — 202 in Valencia, the worst hit region, two in neighboring Castilla La Mancha and one in Andalusia in the south.

Members of the security forces and 1,700 soldiers from the emergency unit are searching for an unknown number of missing people with officials concerned that more bodies could be found in wrecked vehicles and flooded garages.

Guardia Civil has rescued more than 4,500 people trapped by the floods, said Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska in a news conference from Valencia.

The regional authorities, who are in charge of the response to the tragedy, have asked the central government to mobilize an additional 500 soldiers, who will be deployed on Saturday.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the “UK stands with Spain” after devastating floods killed more than 200 people with dozens more missing.

My thoughts are with those who have lost their lives, their families and all those affected by the devastation caused by the extreme flooding in Spain. The UK stands with Spain during this difficult time.

A red alert in the Spanish region of Huelva has been lifted by the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet), which had been in place since early Friday morning.

Orange warnings have also been lifted in Castellon and Tarragona, while orange warnings remain in place for Huelva and the Balearic Islands.

The damage from the storm has recalled the aftermath of a tsunami, with survivors left to pick up the pieces as they mourn loved ones lost in Spain’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory. Many streets were still blocked by piled-up vehicles and debris, in some cases trapping residents in their homes. Some places still don’t have electricity, running water, or stable telephone connections.

“The situation is unbelievable. It’s a disaster and there is very little help,” said Emilio Cuartero, in Masanasa, on the outskirts of Valencia city. “We need machinery, cranes, so that the sites can be accessed. We need a lot of help. And bread and water.”

In Chiva, residents were clearing debris from mud-filled streets. The Valencian town received more rain in eight hours on Tuesday than it had in the preceding 20 months, and water overflowed a gully that crosses the town, tearing up roads and homes.

The mayor, Amparo Fort, told RNE radio that “entire houses have disappeared, we don’t know if there were people inside or not.”

The tragedy is already Spain’s worst flood-related disaster in modern history, and meteorologists say human-driven climate change is making such extreme weather events more frequent and destructive.

In 2021, at least 185 people died in heavy flooding in Germany. Prior to that, 209 people died in Romania in 1970 and floods in Portugal in 1967 killed nearly 500 people.

Research group Climate Central said in a report on Thursday that a low-pressure system behind Spain’s floods had tapped into an “atmospheric river” carrying excess moisture from the unusually warm Tropical Atlantic.

According to its Climate Shift Index: Ocean, human-caused climate change has made these elevated sea surface temperatures at least 50 to 300 times more likely.

Weather warnings are in force across swathes of Spain as further storms approach on the heels of devastating flooding which has claimed at least 205 lives – making it the country’s worst natural disaster in living memory.

Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has warned that the devastation caused by flash flooding is “not finished” as he declared Valencia a “disaster zone” on Thursday. Urging residents to remain in their homes, he said: “Right now the most important thing is to safeguard as many lives as possible.”

Cities such as Valencia and Malaga were inundated this week after nearly a year’s worth of rain – close to half a metre – fell in just eight hours in some areas, leaving residents “trapped like rats” in homes and cars, as described by one desperate local mayor recalling the chaos.

Andy Gregory reports:

People in Valencia have transformed dispair into action and are organising marches to deliver vital food and water supplies to neighbouring towns ravaged by the disaster.

Jorge Ramos Tolosa is among hundreds who are crossing the Jorge Meliá Lafarga bridge, which is the only way to reach the nearest towns of Torrent and Paiporta.

The passage has now been transformed into a “bridge of solidarity” to reach those affected by the deadly floods. “We are doing what the regional authorities have not been able to do for days,” he told The Independent.

“The aid is not reaching all the places it should, and this is due to the negligence of the regional President of Valencia.”

The history lecturer from the University of Valencia said the outpouring of support from locals was spontaneous. People filled their bags with water, food and cleaning supplies for the victims and walked miles for hours to deliver the humble aid.

“The solidarity of people is invaluable. Amidst the desolation, devastation and sadness we are experiencing here, it is beautiful and encouraging to see this wave of support,” Mr Tolosa said.

A terrified Valencia flood victim has revealed the scale of the devastation after heavy floodwaters engulfed her home in a matter of minutes.

Alba Paredes Borja is from the Spanish town of Alfafar, one of the areas hardest hit by the deadly storm, where local authorities are calling for urgent help in receiving food, water and medical supplies.

“I’m terrified. Everything looks apocalyptic,” she told The Independent. The floods – known as the “cold drop” or DANA phenomena – have claimed 158 lives, including at least three people in the municipality, leaving the city in ruins and cut off from all communication.

Salma Ouaguira reports: