Southeast Spain is plagued by floods

31.10.2024

Torrential rains surprised thousands of residents of southeastern Spain. A year's worth of rainfall fell in some places within eight hours, resulting in flash floods. At this moment the authorities have already confirmed nine dozen victims.

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Spain is dealing with the most devastating floods in decades. In the area of ​​the city of Chiva which is located near Valencia, 491 millimeters of rain fell in eight hours. Shortly thereafter flooding caused chaos throughout the region. Many bridges were destroyed and hundreds of cars were swept off the streets by the water.

Heavy rainfall hit a large part of Spain and was accompanied by hail in some places. More than a thousand soldiers are still searching for the missing. Local radio stations are receiving hundreds of calls for help from people trapped in flooded areas.

The city of Khiva was among the first to be hit by devastating floods. The streets quickly turned into rivers and the current swept away everything in its path. Unfortunately local residents were not warned in time about possible flash floods. Civil protection sent them a warning only when several rivers had already overflowed their banks.

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles told reporters that the flooding in the region was unprecedented. Police launched a hotline and asked people to report missing persons.

Some areas are currently almost impossible to get to as all major and secondary roads have been cut off. A red alert has been declared in the Valencia region and the second highest level of alert has been declared in some parts of Andalusia.

The flooding caused traffic disruptions and several flights from Valencia were diverted to other cities. Dozens of other flights were cancelled. Rail transport was also completely paralyzed. Spain has become the next European country to be hit by unusually heavy floods this autumn.

Source:BBC/Editorial