At least 73 people have died in devastating floods that have hit the southeastern parts of Spain, and dozens more are still missing. Valencia and surrounding areas have been hit the hardest, and the floods have also affected parts of Castile-La Mancha. Three days of mourning have been declared.
The death toll is rising in the devastating floods that followed heavy rainfall in southeastern Spain. At least 70 people have died in Valencia and surrounding areas, two people have died in the province of Castile-La Mancha, and one man died in floods in the area of Malaga.
Dozens are still missing in Valencia, as well as in Albacete and Cuenca. Rescuers have been using helicopters to evacuate people from flooded homes. Residents are still being urged to exercise caution.
Water flowing through the streets reached the first floors of residential buildings, and many who were trapped in their cars climbed onto the roofs of their vehicles. Some sought help through social media.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that the infrastructure destroyed in the floods would be rebuilt and that all of Spain sympathizes with the citizens who are searching for their loved ones, Reuters reported. Sanchez will travel to Valencia on Thursday.
Trains from Valencia to Madrid and Barcelona have been canceled, and schools and other institutions are not operating in the hardest-hit areas.
The Minister for Territorial Policy, Angel Victor Torres, announced that the hardest-hit areas will be declared natural disaster zones at the next meeting of the Spanish government, and he has also declared three days of mourning from tomorrow.
These are the deadliest floods in Spain since 1996, when 87 people died in a town in the Pyrenees.
The rain has stopped in Valencia, but the storm is expected to last until Thursday, the Spanish national meteorological service AEMET announced and issued a red weather alert in the eastern part of the Valencia region.
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Source: RTS
Photo: AP