Deaths top 200 after worst floods for a generation devastate Spain

Published November 2, 2024
Civil defence personnel use a dog to search victims on a riverbank after floods devastated Paiporta, a town in  Spain’s Valencia region.—AFP
Civil defence personnel use a dog to search victims on a riverbank after floods devastated Paiporta, a town in Spain’s Valencia region.—AFP

PAIPORTA: Rescuers on Friday raised the death toll in Spain’s worst floods for a generation to 205 as the government deployed more troops in an increasingly desperate search for survivors.

The floods that have tossed vehicles, collapsed bridges and covered towns with mud since Tuesday are the European country’s deadliest such disaster in decades.

The organisation coordinating emergency services in the hardest-hit eastern Valencia region said 202 people had been confirmed dead there.

Officials in neighbouring Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia in the south had already announced a combined three deaths in their regions. Rescuers equipped with drones and sniffer dogs waded through water and rummaged through debris in search of several people the authorities believe are still missing.

The government has deployed another 500 troops to the stricken areas to bolster the 1,200 already on site for search, rescue and logistics tasks. Another 500 will be dispatched on Saturday.

Some cut-off areas remain without water, food or power three days after the floods began, and many roads and rail lines remain inaccessible.

In the devastated town of Paiporta near Valencia city, some residents complained aid was coming too slowly and frustrating the efforts of volunteers. “There aren’t enough firefighters, the shovels haven’t arrived,” Paco Clemente, a 33-year-old pharmacist, said as he helped clear mud from a friend’s house.

Thousands of people remain cut off from the electricity and telephone networks, but it is hoped the estimated number of missing people will fall once connections are restored.

‘People are desperate’

With several places seeing signs of order breaking down, government minister Angel Victor Torres on Thursday vowed an uncompromising response to looting. Police said they had arrested 50 people for incidents including theft from vehicles and a jewellery store.

In the Valencia region town of Aldaia, Fernando Lozano said he saw thieves grabbing items from an abandoned supermarket as “people are a bit desperate”.

“Until things return to normal and the supermarket opens, it’s going to be very bad here.” Sports centres and schools were among the sites being used for emergency food distribution, Valencia region leader Carlos Mazon told reporters.

‘We all have to help’

An army of hundreds of volunteers set off from Valencia on Friday armed with shovels, buckets and shopping trolleys laden with food and nappies to help distressed neighbours in the city’s flooded suburbs. Among them was chef Nacho Huerta, who said he felt “a lot of emotion” and that “we all have to help”.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hailed “the limitless solidarity and dedication of Spanish society” on X and pledged aid “for as long as it takes”. But the Valencia regional government urged people to stay at home, saying they risked holding up the emergency services travelling to the worst-affected areas.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...