As Spain grapples with its deadliest flood disaster in decades, tensions are escalating in the devastated Valencian suburb of Paiporta where vigilante groups have begun patrolling the streets to curb what they say are rampant post-flood robberies.
Following record-breaking floods that claimed over 200 lives across Spain, residents in some of the hardest-hit areas have turned to self-policing, frustrated by what they see as a lacklustre official response.
Groups of local men—some donning nationalist symbols—are patrolling rubble-strewn, poorly lit streets, seeking to prevent further victimisation by deterring alleged looters, Reuters has reported.
The suburb of Valencia where the stick-wielding men are patrolling is where the king and queen of Spain were pelted with mud.
As search and rescue operations continue, authorities are using sniffer dogs to comb through a submerged underground carpark at a shopping centre on the outskirts of the city, where severe flooding left vehicles and the structure underwater.
As police teams pump out the floodwaters and search through the roughly 50 waterlogged vehicles discovered so far, no bodies have yet been found.
Survivors described the terrifying event to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo as “a nightmare” and “worse” than the “tsunami movie” with shop assistants recounting how they narrowly escaped as torrents of water surged into the complex.
Key points
- Rescuers frantically dig for missing in underground shopping centre
- Sanchez launches 10.6 billion euro aid plan
- Body of one of the four missing people in Letur, Albacete, recovered
Spanish police seek DNA samples for missing,
16:26
Rachel Hagan
Spain's national guard on Tuesday asked relatives of people missing in deadly floods to provide DNA samples to identify bodies, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said he was earmarking 10.6 billion euros ($11.6 billion) to help victims.
The government has declined to say how many people are missing almost a week on from the disaster. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said only that it was a “significant number” and that in the absence of clear information, it was “best not to specify”.
British government drawn up plans to cope with extreme weather following Spain floods
14:49
Rachel Hagan
Sir Keir Starmer’s senior ministers have drawn up plans to cope with extreme weather this winter following the devastating floods in Spain.
The cross-government work will ensure “we are domestically as resilient as we possibly can be” over the winter, Downing Street said.
At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband pointed to warnings that 600,000 people in the UK could be at risk of flooding in future because of climate change.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden led the Cabinet briefing on winter preparations, adding that “recent events in Spain were a reminder of the impact that, for example, extreme weather can have on local communities”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’re always preparing for all eventualities, whether it’s the impact of extreme weather, whether it’s impacts on the NHS.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “The link was made to the fact that climate change can result in extreme weather events. We have obviously seen these very devastating scenes in Spain.”
Vigilante groups patrol Spain’s flood-hit areas at night
14:04
Rachel Hagan
Vigilante groups, angry at authorities’ response to Spain‘s worst flood disaster in decades, have taken to the streets of the Valencian suburb of Paiporta to prevent what they say are widespread robberies and looting after dark.
The informally organised groups of stick-wielding locals are patrolling one of the worst-affected areas, where more than 60 out of at least 217 victims of the disaster died.
Martin, 19, told Reuters that he and his friends were taking the law into their own hands because they believed police were not carrying out their duty to maintain public safety.
“We’re patrolling because we don’t want our neighbours to feel the insecurity they’ve been feeling the past few days due to various robberies,” he said. “People have already lost enough.”
Public anger has mounted over what residents say was a slow and insufficient response by authorities, which led to King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez being pelted with mud during their visit on Sunday.
Sanchez launches 10.6 billion euro aid plan
13:39
Rachel Hagan
Spain‘s prime minister Pedro Sanchez approved a 10.6-billion-euro (£8.9 billion) relief package for 78 communities.
Outlining the plans, he compared them to measures taken during the Covid-19 pandemic and said they include direct payments of 20,000 euros to 60,000 euros to owners of damaged homes, among other financial aid for businesses and municipal governments.
Mr Sanchez said he would ask the European Union to help pay for the relief.
Spain’s king vows to give ‘hope’ after angry residents throw mud on his visit to Valencia town
13:00
Rachel Hagan
Spain’s king has vowed to give “hope” after angry residents threw mud at him during his visit to a flood-stricken town in Valencia.
The king’s comments came during a visit to the epicentre of their nation’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory, where a crowd of enraged locals hurled clots of mud left by the storm-spawned flooding at Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia.
British couple missing for days in Spain floods found dead in car
12:30
Rachel Hagan
A British couple has been found dead in their car days after severe flash floods swept through Spain.
Don Turner, 78, and his wife Terry, 74, had not been seen since Tuesday, when torrential rains began to batter Valencia. Ms Turner had told friends that they were “popping out” to shop for supplies.
The couple’s daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, confirmed the bodies were discovered on Saturday. Ms O’Loughlin told BBC Radio WM that she found out her parents had died after receiving a message from their friends asking to call them.
Spain deploys 14,898 police officers, troops in areas hit by flash floods
12:10
Rachel Hagan
Spain has deployed 14,898 police officers and soldiers in the areas hit by flash floods last week, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday.
Body of one of the four missing people in Letur, Albacete, recovered
11:44
Rachel Hagan
Flooding in Spain happened along a line stretching from the Bay of Cadiz to Valencia. But some areas were more affected than others with torrential rain in Letur in Albacete, where troops have been deployed for search and rescue operations.
Rescuers today confirmed they discovered the body of a man who was one of the four missing people in Letur.
In the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe, three bodies were found in Letur: two women aged 70 and 92.
Satellite imagery reveals scale of devastation
11:13
Rachel Hagan
Satellite imagery has revealed before and after views of the disastrous Valencia floods. It shows green plains turned into a deluge of mud.
Survivors describe tsunami-like horror of shopping centre flooding
11:04
Rachel Hagan
Divers are still searching for bodies in the flooded underground car park of the Bonaire shopping centre in Valencia.
Emergency crews are navigating murky waters to locate potential victims at the shopping centre, using boats to access areas where at least a metre of water remains.
Survivors described the terrifying event to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo as “a nightmare” and “worse” than the “tsunami movie” with shop assistants recounting how they narrowly escaped as torrents of water surged into the complex as people were throwing up and having panic attacks.
Bonair is equivalent in size to 100 football fields with 123 shops including Zara and H&M, 34 restaurants, a bowling alley and 12-screen cinema.
One local wrote on social media: “I was lucky enough to be able to get my car out of the underground car park because they told us to evacuate. When I drove mine out there were still people and around 30 cars. It makes me frightened to think what they’ll find when they drain it.”
Latest in pictures
10:42
Rachel Hagan
Rescuers frantically dig for missing in underground shopping centre
09:58
Rachel Hagan
Rescue teams in Valencia are intensifying their search efforts in a submerged underground carpark at a shopping centre, where severe flooding left vehicles and the structure underwater.
Fatalities from Spain’s worst flash floods in modern history rose to 217 with almost all of them in the Valencia region and more than 60 in the suburb of Paiporta. Hundreds are still missing.
Following the record-breaking flash floods, emergency services are working around the clock to clear out the 1,800-space underground car park, where sudden, tsunami-like flooding caught staff and shoppers by surprise.
Emergency crews are navigating murky waters to locate potential victims at the shopping centre, using boats to access areas where at least a metre of water remains.
As police teams pump out the floodwaters and search through the roughly 50 waterlogged vehicles discovered so far, no bodies have yet been found.
Survivors described the terrifying event to the Spanish newspaper El Mundo as “a nightmare” and “worse” than the “tsunami movie” with shop assistants recounting how they narrowly escaped as torrents of water surged into the complex.
Spain’s king vows to give ‘hope’ after angry residents throw mud on his visit to Valencia town
08:00
Stuti Mishra
Protests in Valencia planned for Saturday
07:00
Barney Davis
Unions and leftwing cultural associations have announced a protest in Valencia on Saturday to call for regional president Carlos Mazon, of the conservative People’s Party, to step down.
A daily protest in Madrid outside the headquarters of Sanchez’s Socialist party drew more people on Sunday, about 600, due to anger over the floods, according to El Pais newspaper.
Opposition politicians accused the left-wing central government of acting too slowly to warn residents and send in rescuers, while Madrid has said regional authorities were responsible for civil protection.
Politicians point the finger over who is to blame for failure to warn residents of fatal floods
06:10
Barney Davis
Spanish minister Felix Bolanos from the Socialist Party said Tuesday’s cabinet would declare some of the worst hit villages by the floods in the regions of Valencia, Andalusia, Castile La Mancha and Catalonia as “severely affected areas” so that they can be entitled to emergency funds.
He added that the government would approve on Tuesday a package of relief measures to help people cope with the situation without giving further details.
Opposition politicians accused the left-wing central government of acting too slowly to warn residents and send in rescuers.
Mazon on Monday had previously said the Hydrographic Confederation of Jucar (CHJ), which measures the flow of rivers and ravines for the state, had cancelled a planned alert three times.
But Madrid said the CHJ does not issue flood risk alerts, which are the responsibility of Spain’s regional governments.
Expat teacher in Spain still trapped after flood waters surround town and food runs out
05:00
Stuti Mishra
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.
“We can’t leave our town because it’s flooded all around,” he said.
“There’s no-one in the shops in Cullera because there’s no food and there won’t be for a while.”
Read the full article here:
Video: Passengers walk through water as airport flooded
04:00
Stuti Mishra
Images and videos on social media shows flooding in the terminals of Barcelona’s El Prat Airport, after the city was lashed by fresh rainfall on Monday.At least 70 flights were cancelled and 18 diverted as a result.
Spain’s weather forecaster Aena warned that Barcelona could be hit by another five inches of rain on Monday with some showers falling on flood ravaged Valencia too.
The flooding affected key areas, including the T-1 terminal and parking facilities. Passengers were kept away from these areas while airport staff continued to clear the water and restore normal operations.
Aena said that the storm has significantly disrupted all activities at the airport, resulting in “considerable” delays after air traffic controllers were forced to space out flight departures.
Passengers were advised to check the state of their flights online and prepare for potential delays as the airport continues to manage the impact of the floods.
| URGENTE: Imágenes del Aeropuerto del Prat en Barcelona. Muchos vuelos se desvían a otros destinos. pic.twitter.com/o8wYoSsg7D
— Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) November 4, 2024
Watch: Spain’s king dodges mud from angry crowd in flood-hit Valencia
03:10
Barney Davis
How Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods led to over 200 deaths - explained through pictures
02:00
Barney Davis
At least 217 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.
Thousands of people are still facing power and water cuts and shortages of basic goods, especially in the eastern region, the worst affected.
Here’s all we know about the devastating floods, the causes, and the scale of the impact:
‘It could go down as the greatest day of Felipe’s reign’ Professor reacts to mud slinging at Spanish king
01:10
Barney Davis
Oriol Bartomeus, a political science professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, said of the moment angry Valencia residents threw mud at the king and chased off other politicians.
Speaking of King Felipe’s reaction where he engaged in dialogue with the people, Prof Bartomeus said : “If he had sought protection from his bodyguards and run away, now that would have been the darkest day of his reign.
“Instead he showed why he is king, demonstrating composure and serenity, and by getting as close as he could to the people.”
The 56-year-old Felipe took over a Royal House whose reputation was in tatters after the financial and lifestyle scandals of his father, Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014.
Where the prime minister was pelted and fled Felipe stood his ground for over half an hour. It was impossible to hear what was said, but he spoke to several shouting people in an intimate and apparently serious tone.Bartomeus, who said he is not a fervent defender of the monarchy, noted what the king didn’t do: He didn’t appear to patronise the people.“
He didn’t console the people, like for example you see the British royals do,” Bartomeus said. Instead, “he dialogued with them. He put the state on his back, got down off the pedestal and went down to the people who were telling him that the state had not arrived, and he told them that it will.”
British government drawn up plans to cope with extreme weather following Spain floods
16:45
Rachel Hagan
Sir Keir Starmer’s senior ministers have drawn up plans to cope with extreme weather this winter following the devastating floods in Spain.
The cross-government work will ensure “we are domestically as resilient as we possibly can be” over the winter, Downing Street said.
At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband pointed to warnings that 600,000 people in the UK could be at risk of flooding in future because of climate change.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden led the Cabinet briefing on winter preparations, adding that “recent events in Spain were a reminder of the impact that, for example, extreme weather can have on local communities”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We’re always preparing for all eventualities, whether it’s the impact of extreme weather, whether it’s impacts on the NHS.”
The Prime Minister’s spokesman said: “The link was made to the fact that climate change can result in extreme weather events. We have obviously seen these very devastating scenes in Spain.”
Valencia households to get €6,000
00:10
Barney Davis
The regional head of Valencia, Carlos Mazon, said that his region would separately hand out each household 6,000 euros and make available at least 200,000 euros to help each town face urgent spending needs.
In total, Mazon, of the conservative People’s Party, said the region would request from Spain’s central government a first aid package worth around 31.4 billion euros, including funds to reconstruct key infrastructure.
Locals criticised late alerts from authorities about the dangers and a perceived delayed response by emergency services.
But General Javier Marcos, commander of the army’s emergency response services, said he had ordered 500 soldiers to be deployed within 15 minutes of seeing the flood warning on Tuesday who were able to enter hard-hit areas.
“The degree of destruction is so great that mobility is limited,” he said. “It is so complex that it requires two things: discipline and patience.”
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti says all football games should have been cancelled
Monday 4 November 2024 23:10
Barney Davis
Football games should not have been played at the weekend after the deadly floods, the Real Madrid manager has said.
“Football should have stopped this weekend,” Carlo Ancelotti said.
He added: “Football is a party and you can celebrate when things are going well, but when they’re not going well there’s no celebration to be had. It’s the most important of the unimportant things in life.”
“But we are not the ones in charge and we have zero power”, adding: “All the coaches had the same opinion not to play.”
In pictures: Spanish residents band together in aftermath of flooding
Monday 4 November 2024 22:00
Barney Davis
Grandaughter of British couple killed in Spanish floods speaks out
Monday 4 November 2024 21:30
Barney Davis
Don Turner, 78, and his wife Terry, 74, had not been seen since flash floods swept through eastern Spain.
Their daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, confirmed to the BBC that her parents’ bodies had been found in their car on Saturday.
She had said her parents had moved to Spain a decade ago because they had “always wanted to live in the sunshine” and criticised the “diabolicial” response from Spanish authorities.
Her neice wrote on Facebook: “This tragedy that will haunt us for a lifetime. If only the people knew the floods were coming. We will never forget.
“Thank you Mom and Auntie Ruth for being so strong and doing the family, and Nan and Grandad proud.
“We love you.”
Catalan Police post harrowing video of desperate rescue
Monday 4 November 2024 20:40
Barney Davis
Catalan Police have posted a video of a desperate rescue of a man trapped in his car in Baix Llobregat, a coastal region just south of Barcelona.
Catalan Civil Protectionissued a mobile phone alert to residents in Baix Llobregat, Barcelonès, Garraf, Maresme, Vallès Occidental, Vallès Oriental, and Selva counties urging people to limit movement and avoid approaching riverbanks or ravines on Monday morning.
The first message was issued at 8.30am in Baix Llobregat before hours of heavy rainfall affected surrounding areas.
♀️ Hem rescatat un home atrapat al cotxe en una zona inundada a causa de la #DANA, al Baix Llobregat
— Mossos (@mossos) November 4, 2024
En cas de pluges torrencials, evita desplaçaments i no agafis el vehicle. Segueix les indicacions d'@emergenciescat
I per demanar ajuda, contacta amb el @112 pic.twitter.com/6VXBqM75OF
Nearly 3,000 dead animals removed from flooded farms
Monday 4 November 2024 20:10
Barney Davis
The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture has removed over 2,950 dead animals from farms in areas hit by the flash floods.
Local officials removed deceased animals from 17 farms in Valencia towns, including pigs, sheep horses and poultry
Hard-hit towns at risk of diseases over floodwaters and decomposing bodies
Monday 4 November 2024 19:10
Salma Ouaguira
Spanish public health experts have warned over immediate health risks associated with stagnant floodwaters and decomposing bodies.
The Ministry of Health has insisted that water contamination from dead animals or humans is not currently a public health issue.
However, residents remain at high risk over gastrointestinal illnesses from drinking contaminated water, injuries from debris, and the proliferation of mosquitoes spreading diseases.
Public health societies, emergency response teams, and NGOs are currently working on the ground in the most affected areas like Paiporta and Chiva in Valencia to ensure the safety and hygiene of residents.
With dozens more feared to be dead, health officials have called local authorities to speed up search of bodies and clean-up operations to prevent further risks.
Rescuers fear discovering underwater grave in mall car park
Monday 4 November 2024 18:30
Barney Davis
In Valencia, the search continued for bodies inside houses and thousands of wrecked cars strewn in the streets, on highways, and in canals that channelled last week’s floods into populated areas.
Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that authorities can still not give a reliable estimate of the missing. In the Aldaia municipality, some 50 soldiers, police and firefighters, some wearing wetsuits, searched in a huge shopping centre’s underground parking lot for possible victims.
They used a small boat and spotlights to move around in the huge structure with vehicles submerged in at least a meter of murky water.
Police spokesman Ricardo Gutiïerrez told reporters that so far some 50 vehicles had been found and no bodies had been discovered there.
The Bonaire shopping mall’s 1,800 underground parking spaces quickly filled with water and mud on Tuesday and Wednesday when the southern outskirts of Valencia were hit by a tsunami-like flooding. The team is using four pumps to remove the water.
Army sends soldiers to provide aid and deter looters as anger over death toll mounts
Monday 4 November 2024 18:00
Barney Davis
Public anger is mounting over the disaster that has killed at least 217 people with dozens of others still unaccounted for. Almost all of deaths occurred in the Valencia region and more than 60 in the suburb of Paiporta.
The army sent about 5,000 soldiers over the weekend to help distribute food and water, clean up streets and guard against looters and a further 2,500 would join them, Defence Minister Margarita Robles told state-owned radio RNE.
A warship with 104 marine infantry soldiers as well as trucks with food and water arrived in Valencia port even as a strong hailstorm pummelled Barcelona some 300 km (186 miles) to the north.
Spain’s king responds as angry residents throw mud on Valencia visit
Monday 4 November 2024 17:15
Tom Watling
Why were Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods so deadly? Everything we know
Monday 4 November 2024 16:50
Tom Watling
70 flights cancelled and 18 diverted in Barcelona airport
Monday 4 November 2024 16:30
Barney Davis
The deadly storm that swept through Barcelona has led to the suspension of 70 departing flights and the diversion of another 18 at Barcelona-El Prat Airport, according to operator Aena.
The heavy rainfall has also caused flooding in key areas, including the T-1 terminal and parking facilities.Passengers have been restricted from the areas while airport staff continue to clear the water and restore normal operations.
Aena said that the storm has significantly disrupted all activities at the airport, resulting in “considerable” delays after air traffic controllers were forced to space out flight departures.
Passengers have been advised to check the state of their flights online and prepare for potential delays as the airport continues to manage the impact of the floods.
What caused the devastating flash flooding in Spain?
Monday 4 November 2024 16:10
Tom Watling
In pictures: Spanish residents wrestle with the mud after heavy rainfall
Monday 4 November 2024 15:51
Tom Watling
Spain mobilises thousands of soldiers in flood relief effort
Monday 4 November 2024 15:36
Tom Watling
Spain has sent more soldiers to its flood-hit east where rescuers searched for more bodies and anger spread over the official handling of a disaster that has killed at least 217 people.
The army sent about 5,000 soldiers over the weekend to help distribute food and water, clean up streets and guard against looters. A further 2,500 would join them, Defence Minister Margarita Robles told state-owned radio RNE.
A warship carrying 104 marine infantry soldiers as well as trucks with food and water was approaching Valencia port even as a strong hailstorm pummelled Barcelona some 300 km (186 miles) to the north. An alert from regional authorities warned of potential landslides and more flooding.
Spain’s reaction shows it’s a dangerous time to be a monarch
Monday 4 November 2024 15:21
Tom Watling
Firefighters search flooded underground car parks - picture
Monday 4 November 2024 15:02
Tom Watling
In pictures: Barcelona residents stranded during floods
Monday 4 November 2024 14:46
Tom Watling
Spanish rescue services scour submerged underground car parks for casualties
Monday 4 November 2024 14:31
Tom Watling
In Valencia, the search continues for bodies inside houses and thousands of wrecked cars strewn in the streets, on highways, and in canals that channeled last week's floods into populated areas.
Spain's interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that authorities can still not give a reliable estimate of the missing. Spanish national television RTVE, however, has broadcast pleas for help by several desperate people whose loved ones are unaccounted for.
In the Aldaia municipality, some 50 soldiers, police and firefighters, some wearing wetsuits, searched in a huge shopping center's underground parking lot for possible victims. They used a small boat and spotlights to move around in the huge structure with vehicles submerged in at least a meter of murky water.
Police spokesman Ricardo Gutierrez told reporters that so far some 50 vehicles had been found and no bodies had been discovered there.
The Bonaire shopping mall's 1,800 underground parking spaces quickly filled with water and mud on Tuesday and Wednesday when the southern outskirts of Valencia were hit by a tsunami-like flooding. The team is using four pumps to remove the water.
Citizens, volunteers and thousands of soldiers and police officers pressed on with their gargantuan clean-up effort to clear out mud and debris.
Barcelona aiport flooded - picture
Monday 4 November 2024 14:14
Tom Watling
Watch: Barcelona Airport runway resembles river as extreme rainfall hits
Monday 4 November 2024 14:00
Tom Watling
British couple missing for days in Spain floods found dead in car
Monday 4 November 2024 13:44
Tom Watling
Barcelona Airport runway flooded as country put on red alert
Monday 4 November 2024 13:30
Tom Watling
Footage shows flooding in town outside Barcelona
Monday 4 November 2024 13:12
Tom Watling
Footage has shown severe flooding in the town of Viladecans just outside of Barcelona.
Arriben imatges dels efectes de la potent tempesta ⛈️ que ha afectat Viladecans.
— Projecte 4 Estacions (@P4Estacions) November 4, 2024
L'EMA del @meteocat ha acumulat 130 mm ⚠️#Projecte4Estacions pic.twitter.com/gZumFKjV7N
50 cars recovered in Aldaia municipality
Monday 4 November 2024 13:02
Rachel Hagan
Police spokesman Ricardo Gutierrez told reporters that so far some 50 vehicles had been found in the Aldaia municipality, and no bodies had been discovered there.
He said soldiers, police and firefighters, some wearing wetsuits, searched a huge shopping centre’s underground car park for possible victims. They used a small boat and spotlights to move around in the huge structure with vehicles submerged in at least 3ft of murky water.
Spanish army arrives in Valencia - picture
Monday 4 November 2024 13:01
Tom Watling
Crashing waves in a hilltop village: Spain’s night of terror
Monday 4 November 2024 12:44
Tom Watling
People clear mud from a street in Valencia after mass flooding
Monday 4 November 2024 12:27
Tom Watling
