Valencia, 19 October. Torrential rain on Spain's Mediterranean coast caused severe flooding, killing at least four people in recent days, while security forces carried out more than 400 air and land rescues in the Valencia region.
Some areas of the Valencia region received up to 700 litres of rain per square metre in 24 hours, a layer of water 70 cm deep and more than Valencia receives in a normal year. The water swept away parked cars, flooded roads and cut residents off; some were airlifted to safety. Authorities ordered about 100 municipalities to stay indoors for several hours; most restrictions were lifted by early afternoon as the weather improved.
"We are talking about three deaths," Valencia regional president Juan Francisco Pérez Llorca told reporters on Monday. Two of the victims were found in the resort town of Oliva: a 79-year-old woman in her home and a man who suffered a fatal heart attack at a campsite. Another man drowned on Sunday while swimming at a beach in Sagunto. In neighbouring Catalonia, firefighters reported the death of a woman who fell into a rain-swollen stream.
The rain also lashed the Balearic Islands and Catalonia. A military emergency unit is helping rescuers, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged the government's full support and whatever personnel and resources are needed.
Background: Scientists link more frequent downpours of this kind to climate change caused by human activity.
List of sources used: Gulf News, France 24
Artificial intelligence was used in preparing this material.
