Oct. 30 (UPI) — Dozens are dead and many still feared missing in flash flooding to Spain’s southeast in western Europe that Spain’s defense minister called “unprecedented” with another European leader pointing to the “reality” of climate change.
At least 72 people were dead, according to officials.
“The process of recovering and identifying the victims is beginning,” local authorities in Valencia, Spain said early Wednesday morning.
Search and rescue operations in the province of Valencia on Spain’s eastern coast along the Balearic Sea — part of the greater Mediterranean Sea — are underway after a deluge of flash flooding hit that appears to have slowed for now. But rains may persist into the weekend, according to reports.
“We are facing an unprecedented situation,” Carlos Mazon, Valencia’s chief of regional government, told reporters Wednesday.
Water rolled into streets in towns near rivers like Utiel and Paiporta from Tuesday to Wednesday after high amounts of rain hit the region with Valencia getting the worst of it.
Chaotic and widespread air and train travel disruptions were reported across the south and east parts of Spain. On Tuesday, a high-speed train derailed carrying 300 passengers near Malaga but no fatalities were reported.
On Wednesday, the Spanish head of state, King Felipe VI, expressed his condolences to “all the families affected who lost loved ones” on behalf himself and Queen Letizia as he spoke of the “enormous destruction” to the local infrastructure still no accessible in some areas.
“And who in some cases still do not know what has happened to some of their relatives,” Felipe told members of the media.
Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles described the flooding event as an “unprecedented phenomenon,” CNN reported. Robles said more than 1,000 Spanish military personnel have been deployed to aid search and rescue ops.
By mid-morning hours, Valencia’s local Emergency Coordination Center said that there was no new order to evacuate and no forecast of overflow or flooding threatening new municipalities and that emergency coordination efforts are “at the highest level.”
Meanwhile, local officials “insist that official channels be followed for information.” They added that emergency numbers for aid have not been down but “lack of capacity” is reason why “numbers are busy,” according to an X post.
On Wednesday morning, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in a speech expressed his “solidarity and affection” to families of victims in Valencian and Castilla la Mancha. And echoing the king’s own words, adding, “and to those who are still searching for their loved ones.”
“We won’t abandon you,” the prime minister said, but warned this “devastating episode is not over.”
Sanchez said the government is “going to help you with all the resources of the State,” adding that “if necessary, the European Union.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed Wednesday morning that the European Union “has already offered support” so far. The floods, she said, signify the ongoing “reality” of factors related to climate change after heavy and unusual rain patterns battered central and eastern Europe in recent months.
“We can’t say anything on the fly, except that in the context of climate change, these types of events will be more frequent and more intense,” according to Ernesto Rodríguez Camino, senior state meteorologist and member of Spanish Meteorological Association.
Von der Leyen added how in just a few months, “floods have hit Central and Eastern Europe, Italy and now Spain,” she said Wednesday.
“This is the dramatic reality of climate change, and we must prepare to deal with it all across our Union and with all tools at our disposal,” she added.