AAt least 62 people lost their lives in the bad weather that hit the Valencia region, in eastern Spain, during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, reports the Spanish press agency EFE based on regional authorities.
Emergency services issued a first alert shortly after 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Several thousand people, however, were surprised by the meteorological phenomenon of the “dana”, also called “cold drop”, an isolated depression at high altitude which causes sudden and extremely violent rains, sometimes for several days. Calls for help from people stuck on the roads, in shopping centers or at work flooded social networks, while the number 112 was unreachable because it was overwhelmed.
The water fell in torrents in localities like Utiel (located around a hundred kilometers west of the city of Valencia) and Chiva (50 km) then followed the beds of the rivers for several hours to reach the coast. Areas rather spared from the rains therefore also found themselves flooded, such as the suburbs of the regional capital.
At least two children and two babies are among the dead. An 88-year-old woman also died in the Cuenca region, becoming the first confirmed death in Castile-La Mancha. The search for missing people also continues in the province of Albacete.
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The south and east of Spain have been hit in recent hours by the heaviest rainfall since September 1966. In the last 24 hours, more than 445 liters per square meter fell in places, according to EFE.
Spanish authorities announced Tuesday evening that several dead bodies had been found in the Valencia region, but authorities could not give more details until the families had been informed.
At first light, as the water began to recede, rescuers hoped to reach places made inaccessible by the force of the waves to search for the missing. Several areas were literally cut off from access and regional authorities were unable to contact mayors, Valencia regional government president Carlos Mazón told the newspaper The Country.
In this community in eastern Spain, people were still waiting to be rescued.
A new alert was issued Wednesday morning via the Es-Alert SMS alert system. The authorities are asking the population to avoid any travel in the Valencian Community, as a precautionary measure, specifies EFE.
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro offered “all necessary assistance” to his Iberian neighbor on Wednesday morning.
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