An extra 5,000 soldiers are being deployed to the flooded Valencia region to support the “biggest operation by the Armed Forces in Spain in peacetime”, prime minister Pedro Sanchez said.
Along with 5,000 extra police officers and the 2,500 soldiers already on the ground, the troops will lead search and clean-up efforts as Spain reels from its worst flood-related disaster in modern history.
In a televised statement on Saturday, prime minister Pedro Sanchez said the number of people killed has risen to 214. He said the government would “mobilise all the resources necessary as long as they are needed”, with more bodies believed to be within the devastation.
Before-and-after satellite images have emerged showing the scale of devastation in Valencia. Vast areas of land are seen covered in a brown swamp of muddy water after the torrential rainfall on Tuesday.
Officials said the death toll is likely to keep rising, with most of the deaths so far in Valencia, the eastern region that bore the brunt of the devastation.
Fresh weather alerts are in place for Spain’s east coast and its western border with Portugal. Rains are expected to continue into the weekend.
Key points
- Death toll rises to 214 people
- Satellite photos show level of devastation in eastern Valencia region
- ‘Biggest military operation in peacetime’, says PM as 10,000 troops sent
- Climate change ‘turbocharging’ extreme weather in Spain, top meteorologists say
- More rain expected in worst-affected regions
Death toll mounts to 214 after two more bodies found
04:30
Shweta Sharma
The death toll has soared to at least 214 deaths and dozens still remain unaccounted for, four days after torrential rains swept the eastern region of Valencia.
Valencian regional authorities said on Saturday night the total number of fatalities in the region was 211, plus two from Castilla La Mancha and one in Andalusia.
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez said the government was sending 5,000 more army troops to help with the searches and clean-up in addition to 2,500 soldiers already deployed.
“It is the biggest operation by the Armed Forces in Spain in peacetime,” Mr Sanchez said. “The government is going to mobilize all the resources necessary as long as they are needed.”
Driver clings to car roof as water surges through roads
04:00
Holly Evans
Why did these massive flash floods happen?
03:00
Holly Evans
Scientists trying to explain what happened see two likely connections to human-caused climate change.
One is that warmer air holds and then dumps more rain. The other is possible changes in the jet stream - the river of air above land that moves weather systems across the globe - that spawn extreme weather.
Climate scientists and meteorologists said the immediate cause of the flooding is called a cut-off lower pressure storm system that migrated from an unusually wavy and stalled jet stream. That system simply parked over the region and poured rain.
This happens often enough that in Spain they call them Danas, the Spanish acronym for the system, meteorologists said.
Then there is the unusually high temperature of the Mediterranean Sea. It had its warmest surface temperature on record in mid-August, at 28.47C, said Carola Koenig of the Centre for Flood Risk and Resilience at Brunel University of London.
The extreme weather event came after Spain battled with prolonged droughts in 2022 and 2023. Experts say that drought and flood cycles are increasing with climate change.
Where are weather alerts in force as death toll hits 207?
02:00
Holly Evans
Weather warnings are in force across swathes of Spain as further storms approach on the heels of devastating flooding which has claimed at least 211 lives – making it the country’s worst natural disaster in living memory.
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has warned that the devastation caused by flash flooding is “not finished” as he declared Valencia a “disaster zone” on Thursday. Urging residents to remain in their homes, he said: “Right now the most important thing is to safeguard as many lives as possible.”
Cities such as Valencia and Malaga were inundated this week after nearly a year’s worth of rain – close to half a metre – fell in just eight hours in some areas, leaving residents “trapped like rats” in homes and cars, as described by one desperate local mayor recalling the chaos.
Read the full article here:
Has this happened before?
01:00
Holly Evans
Spain’s Mediterranean coast is used to autumn storms that can cause flooding, but this episode was the most powerful flash flood event in recent memory.
Older people in Paiporta, ground zero of the tragedy, claim that Tuesday’s floods were three times as bad as those of 1957, which caused at least 81 deaths and were the worst in the history of the tourist eastern region.
That episode led to the diversion of the Turia watercourse, which meant that a large part of the city was spared of these floods.
Valencia suffered two other major Danas in the 1980s, one in 1982, with around 30 deaths, and another one five years later, which broke rainfall records.
This week’s flash floods are also Spain’s deadliest natural tragedy in living memory, surpassing the flood that swept away a campsite along the Gallego river in Biescas, in the north-east, killing 87 people in August 1996.
Expat teacher in Spain still trapped after flood waters surround town and food runs out
00:00
Holly Evans
An expat teacher living south of Valencia in Spain says he is unable to leave his town due to being “surrounded by water” following flash flooding in the region.
John Fahy, 55, who lives in a seaside town called Cullera, also reported there being no food in the supermarkets, with no new supplies expected for a while.
At least 211 people have been killed in Spain’s worst flooding disaster this century, with rescue workers searching for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings.
Read the full article here:
Death toll rises to 214 people
23:31
Holly Evans
The deadliest flash floods in Spain’s modern history have killed at least 214 people and dozens were still unaccounted for, four days after torrential rains swept the eastern region of Valencia.
Regional authorities said on Saturday night the total number of fatalities in the region was 211, plus two from Castilla La Mancha and one in Andalusia.
The tragedy is already Europe’s worst flood-related disaster since 1967 when at least 500 people died in Portugal.
Cars and furniture lay piled up in mud as Spain reels
23:00
Holly Evans
Is it safe to travel to Spain and should I cancel my holiday after flooding disaster?
22:30
Holly Evans
Eastern Spain has been hit with devastating flash flooding this week, the worst flooding disaster the area has experienced in decades.
Rainstorms started on Tuesday (29 October) and continued into Wednesday. In the aftermath of the floods, cars have been piled on the street surrounded by a sea of debris from damaged buildings and structures.
At least 211 people have lost their lives after the flooding swept through streets, turning walkways into rivers and trapping people in their homes and on the roofs of cars.
It is the worst flood-related catastrophe Spain has witnessed since at least 1996, when 87 people died and 180 were injured in a flash flood near Biescas in the Pyrenees.
Read the full article here:
What has the state response been?
21:30
Holly Evans
The management of the crisis, classified as level two on a scale of three by the Valencian government, is in the hands of the regional authorities, who can ask the central government for help in mobilising resources.
At the request of Valencia’s president, Carlos Mazon, of the conservative Popular Party, socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Saturday the deployment of 5,000 more soldiers who will join rescue efforts, clear debris and provide water and food over the weekend.
The government will also send 5,000 more national police officers to the region, Mr Sanchez said.
At present there are some 2,000 soldiers from the military emergency unit, the army’s first intervention force for natural disasters and humanitarian crises, involved in the emergency work, as well as almost 2,500 Civil Guard gendarmes - who have carried out 4,500 rescues during the floods - and 1,800 national police officers.
When many of those affected said they felt abandoned by the authorities, a wave of volunteers took to the streets to help.
Children’s daycare owner says they have lost ‘everything’
21:12
Holly Evans
A children’s daycare was ruined when a crushing wall of water swept through Paiporta, turning the Valencia municipality of 30,000 into the likely epicenter of Spain’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory.
“We have lost everything,” Xavi Pons told The Associated Press. He said the water level was above his head inside what had been the daycare run by his wife’s family for half a century, and he pointed to the knee-high mark where the mud reached.
“I have lived here all my life. This had never happened and nobody could have imagined it would,” Pons said. “All of Paiporta is like this, it is all in ruins.”
Authorities say at least 62 people died in Paiporta, of the 211 confirmed deaths from flash floods in Spain on Tuesday and Wednesday. The majority of those deaths happened in the eastern region of Valencia, and local media have labeled Paiporta the “ground zero” of the floods.
What caused the flash floods in Spain?
20:30
Holly Evans
The storms concentrated over the Magro and Turia river basins and, in the Poyo riverbed, produced walls of water that overflowed river banks, catching people unaware as they went on with their daily lives, with many coming home from work on Tuesday evening.
In the blink of an eye, the muddy water covered roads and railways, and entered houses and businesses in villages on the southern outskirts of Valencia city.
Drivers had to take shelter on car roofs while residents tried to take refuge on higher ground.
Spain’s national weather service said that in the hard-hit locality of Chiva it rained more in eight hours than it had in the preceding 20 months, calling the deluge “extraordinary”.
When the authorities sent the alert to mobile phones warning of the seriousness of the phenomenon and asked people to stay at home, many were already on the road, working or covered in water in low-lying areas or garages, which became death traps.
Watch: ‘It’s all destroyed’: Aftermath of deadly flash floods in Spain
19:15
Joe Middleton
90 per cent of households in Valenica have power restored
19:53
Holly Evans
On Friday, the mass spontaneous arrival of volunteers complicated access for professional emergency workers to some areas, prompting authorities to devise a plan on how and where to deploy them.
Rafael Armero, 19, who was in Alfafar, a suburb of Valencia, said on Saturday: “I have been going around the town for three days helping everyone who needs it. We have a backpack full of food and water for anyone who needs it.”
More than 90 per cent of the households in Valencia had regained power on Friday, utility Iberdrola said, though thousands still lacked electricity in cut-off areas that rescuers struggled to reach.
Watch: ‘It’s all destroyed’: Aftermath of deadly flash floods in Spain
18:59
Joe Middleton
90 per cent of households in Valenica have power restored
18:28
Holly Evans
On Friday, the mass spontaneous arrival of volunteers complicated access for professional emergency workers to some areas, prompting authorities to devise a plan on how and where to deploy them.
Rafael Armero, 19, who was in Alfafar, a suburb of Valencia, said on Saturday: “I have been going around the town for three days helping everyone who needs it. We have a backpack full of food and water for anyone who needs it.”
More than 90 per cent of the households in Valencia had regained power on Friday, utility Iberdrola said, though thousands still lacked electricity in cut-off areas that rescuers struggled to reach.
Is it safe to travel to Spain and should I cancel my holiday after flooding disaster?
18:03
Amelia Neath
Eastern Spain has been hit with devastating flash flooding this week, the worst flooding disaster the area has experienced in decades.
Rainstorms started on Tuesday (29 October) and continued into Wednesday. In the aftermath of the floods, cars have been piled on the street surrounded by a sea of debris from damaged buildings and structures.
Here is the latest on the situation in Spain and what you need to know about travel.
Amelia Neath reports:
Worst of the storm over in Mallorca
17:31
Alex Croft
The worst of the storm is over in Majorca despite much of the island being hit by torrential rain on Friday night, according to local media reports.
Javier Bonet, the first deputy mayor of Majorcan capital Palma, urged locals and tourists to only leave their homes if “absolutely necessary” on Friday.
“We are not on red alert, but it is essential to warn the population to avoid greater risks,” he added.
But the Mallorca Daily Bulletin reports that the “storm is subsiding” and the “emergency services believe that the worst of the cold snap has passed”.
Emergency services still advise significant caution as rain is still possible on Saturday.
Full report: Spain deploys 5,000 more soldiers as death toll from devastating floods hits 211
17:01
Holly Evans
The death toll after flash flooding wreaked devastation in Spain has reached 211, as the prime minister announced that 5,000 additional soldiers had been deployed to assist the rescue operation.
An unknown number of people remain missing after the country suffered its deadliest natural disaster in living memory, which saw heavy rainfall wash away houses and cars in the eastern and central regions.
On Saturday, rescuers were still searching for bodies in stranded cars and sodden buildings on Saturday, four days after the storm which has devastated the country.
Holly Evans reports:
Live: Rescue operations as Spain recovers from flash flood devastation
16:33
Alex Croft
Follow the link below to watch live as volunteers and emergency services carry out rescue operations in the devastated eastern region of Valencia.
Satellite photos show level of devastation in eastern Valencia region
16:06
Alex Croft
‘It’s all destroyed’: Aftermath of deadly flash floods in Spain
15:43
Alex Croft
‘Everything looks apocalyptic’: Spain flood victim says her entire home was engulfed in less than 10 minutes
15:21
Alex Croft
A terrified Valencia flood victim has revealed the scale of the devastation after heavy floodwaters engulfed her home in a matter of minutes.
Alba Paredes Borja is from the Spanish town of Alfafar, one of the areas hardest hit by the deadly storm, where local authorities are calling for urgent help in receiving food, water and medical supplies.
“I’m terrified. Everything looks apocalyptic,” she told The Independent. The floods – known as the “cold drop” or DANA phenomena – have claimed 158 lives, including at least three people in the municipality, leaving the city in ruins and cut off from all communication.
Salma Ouaguira reports:
‘Where is the aid? My town has turned into a cemetery’ - today’s front page
14:57
Alex Croft
Spanish footballer commemorates victims after scoring goal
14:30
Alex Croft
CA Osasuna footballer Ante Budimir has paid tribute to those affected in Spain’s most devastating floods in modern history.
He did so during a La Liga match between CA Osasuna and Real Valladolid CF at Estadio El Sadar in Pamplona on Saturday.
The t-shirt translates roughly as “Strong Valencia”.
In pictures: Clean-up continues amid the devastation
14:04
Alex Croft
NASA satellite imagery shows extent of flooding
13:29
Alex Croft
Satellite imagery from NASA Earth has shown the extent of flooding in the province of Valencia, eastern Spain.
In a post on X, the space agency wrote: “Torrential rains caused deadly flooding and extensive damage in the province of Valencia, located in eastern Spain. These #Landsat images show the extent of flooding as of October 30, 2024.”
Torrential rains caused deadly flooding and extensive damage in the province of Valencia, located in eastern Spain. These #Landsat images show the extent of flooding as of October 30, 2024.
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) November 1, 2024
More: https://t.co/nuE0Vr7cNT pic.twitter.com/EGOaJ8mcTy
‘Biggest military operation in peacetime’, says PM
13:01
Alex Croft
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said he is unleashing the “biggest operation by the Armed Forces in Spain in peacetime”.
He announced that the government would send 5,000 more army troops and 5,000 more police officers to assist with the search and clean-up operations in a televised statement on Saturday morning that .
This is in addition to the 2,500 soldiers already deployed in the area.
“The government is going to mobilize all the resources necessary as long as they are needed,” Mr Sanchez added.
The huge response comes after Europe’s worst flood-related disaster since 1967, when at least 500 people died in Portugal.
Death toll rises to 211
12:48
Alex Croft
The death toll following the devastating floods in Spain has risen to 211.
Dozens are still accounted for, four days after the torrential rains swept across the eastern Valencia region, prime minister Pedro Sanchez said.
Watch: Woman and baby airlifted to safety from Spain’s flash floods by metal cage attached to helicopter
12:28
Lucy Leeson
Watch the moment an elderly woman and baby are airlifted to safety from catastrophic flash floods in Valencia, Spain.
Emergency services have shared footage of the woman and one-year-old baby being rescued after their home was flooded by water on Thursday (31 October).
It captures the moment a military emergency unit rescues the woman using a metal cage attached to a helicopter.
The official number of people killed by the catastrophic floods has risen dramatically to 158.
Spain’s prime minister has urged residents to stay at home as he warned devastation is “not finished” and declared Valencia a “disaster zone”.
King Charles ‘heartbroken’ about the ‘destruction and devastation’ following Spain floods
11:58
Alex Croft
King Charles has offered his “sincere and heartfelt condolences” to the people of Spain following the devastating floods which have so far killed more than 200 people.
Addressed to King Felipe VI of Spain, the King wrote: “My wife and I were utterly heartbroken to learn of the destruction and devastation following the catastrophic flooding in Southern and Eastern Spain.
“So many in the United Kingdom have strong, personal ties to Spain, and our nations are bound by so much that we have in common.
“We extend our most sincere and heartfelt condolences to you and to the people of Spain for the tragic loss of so many lives. Our special thoughts, prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with all those who have lost loved ones and livelihoods this terrible week.”
A message from The King to King Felipe VI of Spain regarding the ongoing floods in Valencia. pic.twitter.com/LHyNUVInKj
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) November 2, 2024
Climate change ‘turbocharging’ weather such as that seen in Spain, top meteorologists say
11:30
Alex Croft
Climate change is “turbocharging” the type of extreme weather we saw in Spain, according to the World Meterological Organisation (WMO).
Clare Nullis, the WMO’s media officer, explained clearly the direct link between climate change and extreme rain.
“Flooding we are seeing in Spain is just one of many, many extreme weather and water-related disasters that have been taking place around the world this year,” she said.
"Climate change is turbocharging extreme weather, and we can expect to see more of the devastation and the despair that we have been seeing this week.
“As a result of rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has accelerated. It’s also become more erratic, more unpredictable. We are facing growing problems of either too much or too little water.
“A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, this is the law of physics. Every degree of warming saturated air contains 7 per cent more water vapour.
“As our climate warms, as the air warms, it becomes more moist, so every additional fraction of warming increases the atmospheric moisture content.”
Spain floods:
— United Nations Geneva (@UNGeneva) November 1, 2024
"Climate change is turbocharing extreme weather, and we can expect to see more of the devastation and the despair.
Every additional fraction of warming increases the atmospheric moisture content. This increases the risk of extreme precipitation flooding." - @wmo pic.twitter.com/Vj4MBJC6UY
In pictures: Volunteers and emergency services work to clear the streets
10:59
Alex Croft
Thousands join first coordinated effort to clean streets on Friday
10:27
Alex Croft
Thousands joined the effort to clean up Spain’s streets following the devastating floods on Friday.
An arts and science centre, normally used for opera performances, became the central hub of the clean-up efforts in Valencia.
Volunteers arrived at Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences for the first local authority-organised group clean-up.
So strong was the desire from residents to band together and clean Spain’s streets that the mass arrival of volunteers complicated access for professional emergency workers. Authorities had to devise a plan on how best to deploy those that arrived.
It came after Carlos Mazon, Valencian regional president, posted on X on Friday: "Tomorrow, Saturday, at 7 in the morning, together with the Volunteer Platform, we will launch the volunteer centre to better organise, (and) transport the help of those who are helping from the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia."
Spain floods mapped: Where are weather alerts in force as death toll hits 207?
09:48
Alex Croft
Weather warnings are in force across swathes of Spain as further storms approach on the heels of devastating flooding which has claimed at least 158 lives – making it the country’s worst natural disaster in living memory.
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez has warned that the devastation caused by flash flooding is “not finished” as he declared Valencia a “disaster zone” on Thursday. Urging residents to remain in their homes, he said: “Right now the most important thing is to safeguard as many lives as possible.”
Cities such as Valencia and Malaga were inundated this week after nearly a year’s worth of rain – close to half a metre – fell in just eight hours in some areas, leaving residents “trapped like rats” in homes and cars, as described by one desperate local mayor recalling the chaos.
The Independent’s Andy Gregory reports:
Why were Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods so deadly? Everything we know
09:10
Tara Cobham
At least 202 people are dead after Spain was struck by the worst floods in recent memory that submerged towns, toppled bridges and cut entire communities off from the outside world.
The deadly floods left cars piled up like toys in streets, swallowed homes, and covered entire neighbourhoods in sludge and debris.
Muddy rivers swept away everything in their path – roads, houses and key infrastructure.
Climate Correspondent Stuti Mishra reports:
Some 500 soldiers deployed to search for missing amid fears more bodies hidden among destruction
09:08
Tara Cobham
Some 500 soldiers have been deployed to search for people who are still missing and help survivors of the storm.
Officials said the death toll is likely to keep rising in what is already Spain’s worst flood-related disaster in modern history and the deadliest to hit Europe since the 1970s, with most of the deaths so far in Valencia, the eastern region that bore the brunt of the devastation.
Emergency services working to clear cars piled up at the entrance of a flooded underpass in the suburbs feared finding more trapped bodies. “We’re trying to remove vehicles bit by bit to see if there are victims,” one rescue worker told state television. “We don’t know.”
Cars and furniture lay piled up in mud as Spain reels from deadly floods
08:49
Tara Cobham
Death toll rises again – from 205 to 207, says interior minister
08:11
Tara Cobham
The death toll from the devastating flash floods in Spain has risen again – from 205 to 207, the interior minister has confirmed.
According to local media, Fernando Grande-Marlaska told the Spanish radio station Hora 25: “The update is that there are 207 confirmed victims.”
He added: “It is impossible to know the number of missing people and it would not be prudent for me to give a figure.”
‘It’s all destroyed’: Aftermath of deadly flash floods in Spain
07:00
Holly Evans
Early action can mitigate flood destruction, UN climate agency says
06:30
Shweta Sharma
Effective flood warning systems could help to avoid the level of destruction that has occurred in the Valencia region of Spain this week, the World Meteorological Organisation said on Friday.
“We do need to ensure that the early warnings reach those who need them,” WMO official Clare Ms Nullis told a regular UN briefing. “We need to ensure that early warnings lead to informed early action.”
Ms Nullis declined to comment on whether Madrid had acted too slowly in warning residents about the floods, saying only that it was something that “Spanish authorities need to examine”.
Is it safe to travel to Spain and should I cancel my holiday?
06:00
Holly Evans
Eastern Spain has been hit with devastating flash flooding this week, the worst flooding disaster the area has experienced in decades.
Rainstorms started on Tuesday (29 October) and continued into Wednesday. In the aftermath of the floods, cars have been piled on the street surrounded by a sea of debris from damaged buildings and structures.
At least 95 people have lost their lives after the flooding swept through streets, turning walkways into rivers and trapping people in their homes and on car roofs.
Read the full article here:
Residents and rescuers speak of ‘inhuman’ tragedy which could have been avoided
05:30
Shweta Sharma
Residents and rescue workers lamented the scale of devastation in the worst floods in Europe since the 1970s as anger mounted over what some said was a lack of preparation.
Emergency services working to clear cars piled up at the entrance of a flooded underpass in the Valencia suburbs feared finding more trapped bodies.
“We’re trying to remove vehicles bit by bit to see if there are victims,” one rescue worker told state television. “We don’t know.”
Resident Isabel Santiago, 49, watched the scene with tears in her eyes: “There have been so many losses, which could have been avoided. There must be a lot of people in that tunnel because they didn’t have time to get out. This is inhuman.”
Valencia’s regional government said people seeking to help should gather at the capital’s Arts and Sciences museum complex at 7am on Saturday to ease coordination.
In Alfafar, a suburb outside the city of Valencia, Spain‘s third-largest, drone footage showed the tangled wreckage of dozens of vehicles strewn across rail tracks.
Valencia resident Hector Bolivar, 65, questioned why a text message alert was only sent out at 8 pm when the heavy rain had begun several hours earlier.
Regional leader Carlos Mazon said all protocols for disaster management were followed and that authorities had begun warning people from Sunday.
Spain flood victim says her entire home was engulfed in less than 10 minutes
05:00
Holly Evans
Power mostly restored as death toll expected to rise further
04:30
Shweta Sharma
More than 90 per cent of the households in eastern Spain hit by catastrophic floods regained power on Friday, utility company Iberdrola said, even as thousands still lacked electricity in areas completely cut off.
The death toll from the unprecedented floods rose to 205 people, with 200 of them killed in Valencia, the eastern region that bore the brunt of the devastation.
Spanish rescuers opened a temporary morgue in a convention centre and battled to reach areas still cut off on Friday to provide aid and support to the people.
Some 500 soldiers were deployed to search for people who are still missing and help survivors of the storm, which triggered a fresh weather alert in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Valencia, where rains are expected to continue during the weekend.
Officials said the death toll is likely to keep rising.
Climate change is making extreme downpours in Spain heavier and more likely, scientists say
04:00
Holly Evans
Human-caused climate change made Spain’s rainfall about 12% heavier and doubled the likelihood of a storm as intense as this week’s deluge of Valencia, according to a rapid but partial analysis Thursday by World Weather Attribution, a group of international scientists who study global warming’s role in extreme weather.
Monstrous flash floods in Spain claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 deaths confirmed in the eastern Valencia re
