فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
The death toll from catastrophic floods that struck southeastern Spain this week has risen to 158, while search operations continue for an unknown number of missing persons.
The previous toll announced Wednesday evening had indicated 95 deaths, but authorities warned to expect worse, with Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirming Thursday morning that there were “many people still missing.”
The Valencia region alone recorded 155 deaths, making it the most affected by the mudslides that swept through the tourist region on Tuesday evening and Tuesday night. Two additional deaths were recorded in the neighboring province of Castilla-La Mancha and one in Andalusia.
In Paiporta, a city of 25,000 inhabitants in southern Valencia’s suburbs, at least 62 people died, according to Mayor Maribel Albalat.
Authorities deployed more than 1,200 soldiers in the region alongside firefighters, police, and rescue teams to search for possible survivors and clear debris from affected areas.
The Spanish government declared three days of national mourning, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the rescue coordination center in Valencia, emphasizing that the “priority” is finding “victims and missing persons.”
The Spanish Meteorological Agency reported that more than 300 liters of water per square meter fell in several cities in the Valencia region, with a peak of 491 liters recorded in the small village of Chiva, equivalent to “annual rainfall amounts.”
Scientists confirm that extreme weather events, such as heat waves and storms, have become more frequent and intense due to climate change.
The region and Spain’s Mediterranean coast regularly experience the “gota fria” (cold drop) phenomenon in autumn, which causes sudden and extremely violent rainfall, sometimes lasting several days.
Thousands remain without electricity in the region, while numerous roads are still closed, with countless damaged vehicles littering the roads covered in mud and debris.
