At least 51 dead after torrential rain, floods in Spain’s Valencia region

Emergency services continue search and rescue operations after flash floods hit southern and eastern Spain.

At least 51 people have died in flash floods that swept through Spain’s eastern region of Valencia after torrential rain, local authorities have said.

Heavy storms on Tuesday triggered floods across parts of southern and eastern Spain. Footage shared on social media showed vehicles being swept away down streets by the mud-coloured water.

More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units were deployed to affected areas.

The “provisional number of dead is at 51 people”, the regional emergency services wrote on X on Wednesday, adding that bodies were still being recovered and identified.

Carlos Mazon, the regional leader of Valencia, told a news conference that some people remained isolated in inaccessible locations.

“If [emergency services] have not arrived, it’s not due to a lack of means or predisposition, but a problem of access,” Mazon said, adding that reaching certain areas was “absolutely impossible”.

Cars swept away by water after floods preceded by heavy rains caused the river to overflow its banks in the town of Alora, Malaga [Gregorio Marrero/AP Photo]

Ricardo Gabaldon, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE that “yesterday was the worst day of my life.” Several people were still missing in his town.

“We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to three meters,” he said.

Spain’s King Felipe VI said he was “devastated” by the loss of life and thanked emergency services for their response. The monarchy also offered “our heartfelt condolences” to families of the victims.

Emergency services in the region urged citizens to avoid any kind of road travel and to follow further updates from official sources.

Footage shared on social media showed firefighters rescuing trapped drivers amid heavy rain in the town of Alzira and cars stranded in flooded streets.

National weather service AEMET reported heavy rainfall, hail and strong gusts of wind. A severe weather warning remains in place for large parts of the country.

The weather service said that the situation across Spain will not return to calm until Thursday.

Trains to the cities of Madrid and Barcelona were cancelled due to the flooding, and schools and other essential services were suspended in the worst-hit areas.

Spain’s state-owned railway Renfe said a high-speed train with 291 passengers on board travelling from Malaga to Madrid derailed shortly after departure due to a landslide. No injuries have been reported.

Scientists have warned heavy rainfall events have become more frequent and intense worldwide, largely due to climate change. Human activities such as urban development, deforestation, and inadequate infrastructure are also known to increase flood risks.

Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years, but nothing compared with the devastation over the last two days.

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Al Jazeera and news agencies