As 64 people die in floods, Spain races to save victims

VALENCIA: Spanish rescue teams on Wednesday scrambled to rescue people trapped by tides of muddy water in floods that killed at least 64 people in the eastern Valencia region.

The floods were the deadliest disaster in Spain since August 1996, when 86 people died in the northeastern region of Aragon near the Pyrenees Mountains on the French border.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged citizens not to err on the side of caution while the emergency continues, vowing not to “abandon” the victims of the disaster on a scale rarely seen in the European country.

Sanchez said the government’s “absolute priority” is to help victims. “The whole of Spain is crying with all of you (…) We will not abandon you,” he said in a televised speech.

The disaster cannot be considered over, he added, “and we will use all necessary resources for as long as necessary to recover from this tragedy.”

Heavy rain and strong winds that have affected Spain since the beginning of the week have caused floods in eastern Valencia and southern Andalusia.

The number is expected to increase as other regions have not yet reported victims.

“Several hundred people” were trapped on two highways in the Valencia area, according to fire chief Jose Miguel Basset.

Regional president Carlos Mazon told reporters that there was no electricity or telephone connection in some parts of the Valencia region, and that some places were cut off due to flooded roads, making rescue efforts difficult.

An unprecedented phenomenon

The European Union has activated the Copernicus satellite system to help coordinate Spanish rescue teams, commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference in Brussels.

Defense Minister Margarita Robles told reporters that “more than a thousand troops”, supported by helicopters, were deployed in response to an “unprecedented event”.

Basset added that emergency services in the Valencia region rescued around 200 people overnight who were currently sheltering in fire stations.

Rail and air transport was severely disrupted and the high-speed line between Valencia and Madrid remained closed.

The Spanish parliament observed a minute of silence on Wednesday to honor the victims before an often raucous question session on the government.