Torrential rains hit eastern Spain on Wednesday night, causing massive flooding from the city of Malaga in the south to Valencia in the east.
In parts of the Valencia region a year’s worth of rain fell within just eight hours, according to local meteorologists cited by Reuters. The rainstorms resulted in the deadliest flooding in the country in three decades.
At least 70 people have died in the disaster according to El Pais, citing government sources, and some are still missing. The Spanish military has been deployed to assist in the search for missing persons and recover victims’ bodies, the newspaper reported.
The death toll is the highest from flooding in the EU since 2021, when at least 185 people died in Germany. It is the deadliest flood in Spain since 1996, when 87 people lost their lives under similar circumstances.
Dozens of people spent the night atop trucks or on roofs of gas stations and houses, according to Spanish media. The rains caused blackouts affecting approximately 140,000 people, the outlet said.
The floods also cut off roads in eastern Spain and led to the suspension of train services in some areas. High-speed rail services between Madrid and the Valencian Community, as well as through the Mediterranean Corridor to Barcelona, were suspended.
A high-speed train carrying about 300 people derailed near Malaga, AP reported, adding that the incident resulted in no casualties.
Numerous videos showing the aftermath of the disaster surfaced on social media. Clips depict torrents of water and mud rushing through streets, sweeping away vehicles. One photo showed a massive barricade on a street formed by smashed cars left by the flood.
"We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to three meters,” Ricardo Gabaldon, the mayor of the town of Utiel, told AP.
The videos and photos also showed large areas submerged under water and mud. According to witnesses interviewed by Reuters, floodwaters reached two meters deep in some places. Some areas remain inaccessible due to damage to transport infrastructure, various media said.
The storm is moving north toward the regions of Catalonia and Aragon, as well as south to Andalusia, where the city of Cadiz is on red alert due to the risk of flooding, El Pais reported.