Devastating flash floods in Spain killed at least 158 people

At least 158 people have been killed by devastating floods in eastern and southern Spain, according to local officials' announcement on Thursday. The deadliest natural disaster in the country's modern history was fueled by torrential rain.

In just eight hours, some places received more rainfall than they would receive in a normal year. Rescuers and the state-run news agency EFE said the death toll increased by more than 50 on Thursday, reaching at least 155 in Valencia alone. In other areas, three persons lost their lives.

The third most populated city in Spain, Valencia, produced stunning photos of scores of cars jammed on top of each other after being washed against the walls of the winding city streets by a surge of mud and debris.

“Unfortunately, there are dead people inside some vehicles,” said Transport Minister Óscar Puente.

Forecasters cautioned that considerable rainfall could still be dumped further north by the remaining Mediterranean storm system, notably in areas of northern Valencia, Zaragoza, and Castellon. However, by late Wednesday, the rains had mostly stopped in the most affected districts, so rescuers had to focus on the difficult effort of recovering victims.

Valencia-area emergency services said on X that the "process of collecting and identifying victims continues" and that the "provisional" dead toll was 158.

Meteorologists reported that in just eight hours, an entire year's worth of rain poured in parts of the city.

Emergency personnel rushed Thursday to locate survivors who were stuck in small towns and villages across Spain, many of which are difficult to access by roads that are now encrusted with rubble and murky water.

The exact number of individuals missing is still unknown, despite the fact that the Spanish government has sent over 1,000 troops to help with the mission. Railway signals and rubble littered the lines in Sedavi, close to Valencia, as locals made their way through the devastation.

Similar to the terrible floods that killed 185 people in Germany in 2021, this was the deadliest natural calamity to strike Europe in years.

Valencia was still partially cut off on Thursday due to the flooding, which rendered important highways and train lines unusable.

According to officials, it is unlikely that the high-speed rail service connecting Valencia City, the regional capital, and Madrid, the national capital, will resume operations before the weekend.

The entire nation was engulfed in sorrow, while Valencia was left in ruins and destruction that would take weeks to clear.

Although Spain frequently experiences autumn storms, the severity of recent floods has shocked the nation.

These kinds of extreme weather events are growing more frequent worldwide, and the scientific community believes that the climate issue is probably to blame for the rise in occurrences.

Three days of mourning have begun around the nation.