The worst DANA of the century was the result of an extraordinary rain, as in just 8 hours, the amount of rain that falls in a year came down.
From the beginning, social media and the media were flooded with shocking images of the devastation caused by the strong winds and torrential rains in the south and east of Spain.
In the province of Valencia and the region of Andalusia, the floods claimed the lives of more than 95 people and left an unknown number of people missing.
The Spanish Government’s Emergency Coordination Center warned that these figures are provisional, based on reports from the security and emergency forces operating in the area.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people are waiting to be rescued after spending the night in trucks, buildings, or trapped in their vehicles.
Authorities fear that the death toll of 95 will continue to rise, as there are many isolated areas. The meteorological service estimates that the rains will not stop until Thursday.
The death toll from the severe floods mainly affecting the southeast of Spain rose to 95 on Wednesday afternoon (30.10.2024). This figure could continue to rise due to the numerous missing persons, as reported by the Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres. The damages caused by the isolated high-level depression (DANA) are significant.
The updated figure is 92 deceased in the Valencian Community, two in Castilla-La Mancha, and one more in Andalusia, totaling 95 from the worst DANA of the century. Torres told the public television TVE that these are provisional data and warned that, unfortunately, the number of victims is expected to increase.
Forty of the deaths occurred in the municipality of Paiporta, 10 kilometers from Valencia. Valencia is the most affected region by the floods, with over 70 roads, mostly secondary, cut off and isolated areas without phone or electricity since the region was hit by intense rains on Tuesday night. The floods turned the streets into raging rivers that swept away everything in their path.
The state meteorological agency Aemet recorded ‘extraordinary accumulations’ of rain, with some municipalities receiving 445 liters of water per square meter in just a few hours, ‘practically what can fall in a complete year’, as reported on the X social network (Twitter). The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, who will visit the affected area on Thursday by the worst DANA of the century, urged citizens to remain vigilant as the emergency ‘continues’.
Valencia airport has resumed operations, although rail transport remains suspended or intermittent. The high-speed train between Madrid and Valencia will not operate until next week, according to authorities. The President of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazón, reiterated the importance of avoiding travel by road in the affected areas.
The government decreed three days of official mourning starting Thursday, in response to the worst DANA of the century, the most deadly weather disaster recorded in Spain in over half a century. Since October 1973, when 300 people died due to torrential rains that devastated several towns in Murcia and Andalusia. Aemet anticipated that the rains will continue until Thursday.
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