A video shows the truck of Bassem, 72, being swept away by the force of floods in the Spanish region of Valencia on October 29. BFMTV was able to follow his children, who are desperately looking for him.
Every day, Maia calls the police. “They have his name, but no news,” she laments. With her brother Dani, she is looking for their father, Bassem, a 72-year-old truck driver, who is missing. His delivery truck was swept away by the waves on Tuesday October 29, during the deadly floods which affected the south-east of Spain.
The latest death toll from the tragedy shows at least 217 deaths. A figure which could rise further since 1,900 people are still reported missing. Many families feel left to their own devices, which provokes anger among the victims and a feeling of abandonment in this search for the missing.
The truck swept away by the floods
On October 29, Bassem was going to drop off his truck at a DHL warehouse when he was surprised by rising waters. A video shows his vehicle almost completely submerged, then drifting with the power of the waters.
“I have anxiety, the anxiety of not knowing where to find him and of not having any news,” says his daughter Maia.
“Now I’m in research, and I don’t think, but when I get home, that’s when everything falls apart,” she continues.
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The vehicle broke apart
After three days of research, Maia and Dani have just discovered part of the vehicle, in the colors of DHL. Parts of the trailer were found in a field, about a hundred meters from the river. They understand that their father’s truck has broken apart and the pieces have scattered.
Two kilometers away, they then discovered the chassis of the truck, submerged in the river bed. These are the last visible traces of Bassem and his heavy weight of several tons. For now, the cabin, possibly with his body inside, remains undiscovered.
Mahelle Genton et Juan Palancia
