Spain floods latest: British man among 95 dead in Valencia flooding as dozens still missing
The death toll continues to rise after the worst flash floods in three decades swept the eastern Spanish region of Valencia
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Your support makes all the difference.At least 95 people, including a 71-year-old British man, have died in southern and eastern Spain following the deadliest flash flooding in the country for three decades.
Authorities fear the death will rise as other regions of Spain were yet to report victims and search efforts continued in hard-to-reach places to find dozens of missing people.
“The fact that we can’t give a number of the missing persons indicates the magnitude of the tragedy,” said minister of territory policies Angel Victor Torres.
A British man died in hospital hours after being rescued from his home on the outskirts of Alhaurín de la Torre, Málaga, according to the president of the Andalusian government, Juanma Morena.
He said the man had been suffering from hypothermia and died after suffering several cardiac arrests.
As torrential rain – amounting to a year’s worth in just eight hours in some areas – inundated cities such as Valencia and Malaga, many found themselves "trapped like rats" in their homes and cars, surrounded by rapidly rising floodwaters.
Police and rescuers used helicopters to lift people from their homes and cars as mud-coloured water quickly filled streets in dozens of villages, towns and cities.
Three days of mourning to begin today
Today (Thursday) marks the first official day of national mourning in Spain, after at least 95 people were killed by flash flooding.
Three days of mourning were declared by the Spanish government in the wake of the tragedy.
During an official mourning period, public events are often postponed or cancelled out of respect and flags fly at half mast.
Shocking images of cars strewn across motorway in flood aftermath
More rain expected to hit worst-affected areas
As emergency sevices continue to search for the dozens of people still missing in the devastating flash floods, more rain has been forecast for some of the worst-affected areas.
Spain’s state meteorological service Aemet has issued warnings yellow and orange warnings for much of eastern Spain, with up to 100mm of rain expected to fall within 12 hours in areas north of Valencia.
Valencia itself is also facing a yellow weather warning, with 20mm of rain expected to fall in one hour on Thursday.
The surrounding areas of Castello de la Plana, Vinaros, Morella and Tortosa are all subject to more severe orange weather warnings.
In pics: Aftermath of the flooding in Spain
Death toll expected to rise as still ‘many missing people'
At least 95 people have been confirmed dead since flash floods devestated eastern Spain, with more expected to come.
Emergency services are continuing to search for the dozens of people still missing in the regions affected, with more rain on the way.
Government minister Angel Victor Torres told Spanish broadcaster TVE that the death toll is likely to rise because “there are many missing people”.
Climate crisis ‘worsened all 10 deadliest weather events'
Climate change made the 10 deadliest extreme weather events over the past two decades worse, contributing to the deaths of more than 570,000 people, scientists have said.
Climate scientists said the finding “underscores how dangerous extreme weather events have already become” with just 1.3C of global warming above pre-industrial levels.
It also highlights the urgency of cutting the greenhouse gas emissions driving rising temperatures and more extreme weather, they said, as the world is currently on track for 3C of warming by the end of the century – a level recently described by UN chief Antonio Guterres as “catastrophic”.
More here.
Climate change ‘worsened all 10 deadliest weather events in past two decades’
The deadliest weather events since 2004 caused more than 570,000 deaths and the ‘fingerprints’ of climate change were present, scientists say.
Tourists in Spain warned of heavy rain, lightning and hail
Half-term holidaymakers have been warned by the Met Office to expect heavy rain in Spain’s east coast tourist destinations this week.
The national meteorological service said that a risk of “significant flash flooding”, “frequent lightning” and “large hail” will continue through to the end of the week following heavy showers and thunderstorms.
The Met Office said: “Torrential rain and thunderstorms could bring flash flooding, landslides and significant disruption to parts of eastern Spain this week.
“A further 250-350mm of rain is possible by the weekend in a few places - the average for the whole of October is closer to 50-100mm!”
More here.
Tourists in Spain warned of heavy rain, lightning and hail after deadly flash floods
The Met Office forecast up to 350mm of rain in some areas after 51 died during flash floods in Valencia
Full report: More than 90 dead after torrential rain brings flash flooding to Spain
Flash floods turned streets into rivers, destroyed homes, and killed at least 95 people in Spain’s worst natural disaster in recent memory.
Torrential rainstorms hit southern and eastern parts of the country, including the Costa del Sol region, where the city of Malaga is located, and Valencia in the east.
Rescuers waded through mud-coloured water while cars and vans appeared stranded. More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units have been deployed to the worst-hit areas.
More than 90 dead after torrential rain brings flash flooding to Spain
‘We were trapped like rats. Cars were flowing down the streets’
Spainish town records one year’s worth of rain in hours
The town of Chiva, west of Valencia province, recorded 491 mm of rain in just eight hours, almost equalling a year’s worth, according to Spain’s weather service.
Flash floods in Spain turned village streets into rivers, ruined homes, disrupted transportation and killed at least 95 people in the worst natural disaster to hit the country in decades.
Nearly 155,000 homes were without electricity in Valencia, according to the energy minister.“All of Spain weeps with all of you... We won’t abandon you,” prime minister Pedro Sanchez told victims and their families in a televised address.
The disaster could not be considered over and “we will deploy all the necessary resources for as long as necessary so that we can recover from this tragedy,” he added.
ICYMI: British man, 71, killed in floods
A 71-year-old British man has been confirmed as one of the casualties of the flash floods.
President of the Andalusian government, Juanma Morena, said the man had died in hospital hours after being rescued from his home on the outskirts of Alhaurín de la Torre, Málaga.
He added that he was suffering from hypothermia and died after suffering several cardiac arrests.
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