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Spain’s prime minister has urged residents to stay at home as he warned devastation caused by flash flooding is “not finished” – with more extreme weather to come.
Valencia has now been declared a “disaster zone” by Pedro Sanchez, who announced the measure as he visited some of the worst affected areas on Thursday.
With at least 95 already killed, authorities fear the death toll could rise as emergency services continue their desperate search for the dozens of people still missing.
Spain’s transport minister, Oscar Puente, said that rescue workers will be facing the task of recovering bodies believed to still be trapped in cars.
Torrential rain – amounting to a year’s worth in just eight hours in some areas – inundated cities such as Valencia and Malaga, many found themselves “trapped like rats” in their homes and cars, surrounded by rapidly rising floodwaters.
Many affected are preparing for more torrential rain, after Spain’s meteorological service issued a series of fresh warnings – including the most severe kind – on Thursday.
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What do we know this morning?
As rescue workers continue trying to recover the dozens of people still missing, here is what we know on Thursday morning:
– At least 95 people have been killed after eastern Spain was hit by flash floods.
– Ministers have warned that the death toll is likely to rise as there are “many missing people”.
– More severe weather warnings have been issued in the region for today.
– A 71-year-old British man is among the dead.
– The rainstorms started on Tuesday and continued on Wednesday which triggered the devastating flooding.
– More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response unit have been deployed to the most devastated areas.
– The main areas affected are the eastern province of Valencia and neighbouring regions.
‘This is not finished’, warns PM
Spain’s prime minister has urged residents to stay vigilant as he warned the effects of flash floding are “not finished”
Speaking at the Emergency Services Coordination Centre in Valencia, Pedro Sanchez also declared Valencia as a disaster zone and raised the official crisis level to level two.
He told people affected by the flooding to stay at home, as many in the region brace themselves for more extreme weather today.
“The most important thing is that I know Spanish people are aware that this phenomenon has not finished,” he said.
“The Spanish weather agency has still raised alerts in Valencia and elsewhere around Spain. And so I urge everybody else to heed those recommendations and to heed the advice of, the law enforcement and protection authorities. All of those who have been affected, please stay at home.”
Bodies still trapped in cars, minister says
Emergency services are continuing to frantically search for any survivors in eastern and southern Spain following deadly flash flooding across the region.
Shocking images have emerged of piled up vehicles, tumbled down by muddy water in worst-hit regions of Valencia.
Spain’s transport minister, Oscar Puente, told media that rescue workers will be facing the task of recovering some bodies from these vehicles.
“Unfortunately, there are dead people inside some vehicles,” he said.
Valencia to be declared a disaster zone – PM
Spain’s prime minister has announced that Valencia is to be declared a disaster zone following the deadly flash flooding that has devastated the area since Tuesday.
Speaking at the Emergency Services Coordination Centre in Valencia, Pedro Sanchez also said the official crisis level has been raised to level two.
Spanish farmers devastated by flood damage
Spanish farmers have been devastated by the flash flooding, with crops wiped out and livestock killed.
Utiel residents Javier Iranzo, 47, and Ana Carmen Fernandez, 48, told Reuters the flooding had completely wrecked their pig farm, with 50 of their animals having drowned.
They estimated hundreds of thousands of euros worth of damages and, despite government pledges of help, said they worried about whether they would receive state aid to help rebuild.
EU fly flags half mast following tragedy
The European Commission is flying its flags half mast today in solidarity with the lives lost in Spain’s flash flooding.
A picture of the EU flags outside the headquarters Brussels was shared on X/Twitter
“The European flags in front of our headquarters in Brussels are at half-mast. Our thoughts are with the victims of the floods in Spain, their families and the rescue teams. The floods in Spain are not only a national tragedy. It’s also a European one.”
Severe weather warning issued
Severe weather warnings have been issued by Spain’s state meteorological service Aemet for Thursday.
Calm weather returned on Thursday to the hardest-hit areas around the city of Valencia, Spain’s third-largest, but the Aemet state weather agency issued its highest level of alert for the province of Castellon.
Further north in the Catalonia region, an amber alert was issued for the city of Tarragona.
It warned: “Extreme danger! Do not travel in the area unless absolutely necessary!”
Spanish president to visit Valencia today
Spain’s president is set to visit some of the worst affected areas of Valencia on Thursday.
President Pedro Sanchez will be seeing the devastating damage first hand having already spoken with the Carlos Mazon and Emiliano García-Page, the presidents of the Valencia Community and Castilla-La Mancha.
Three days of mourning to begin today
Today (Thursday) marks the first official day of national mourning in Spain, after at least 95 people were killed by flash flooding.
Three days of mourning were declared by the Spanish government in the wake of the tragedy.
During an official mourning period, public events are often postponed or cancelled out of respect and flags fly at half mast.
Shocking images of cars strewn across motorway in flood aftermath
Source: independent.co.uk
