Spain Reels in Shock as Flood Death Toll Surges to 158: Looters Caught in the Act as 39 Arrests Made

Flood victims in Spain rise to at least 158, rescue teams rush to look for missing people Meanwhile, the police arrested 39 people who took advantage of theft during the floods.

Foreign news agencies said that the death toll from Spain’s worst floods in decades increased to at least 158 ​​corpses on Thursday, October 31, 2024, after the eastern and southern regions of the country. Experience a year’s worth of rainfall in a matter of hours.

Deaths155 The bodies were found in the hardest hit eastern region of Valencia. Many roads and railways were damaged. The river collapses its banks causing flooding. Thousands of people were without electricity or running water, and two bodies were found in the Castilla-La Mancha region. And one British man died in the autonomous region of Andalusia.

The city of Valencia was covered in mud. After facing severe flooding

Eastern and southern Spain usually experience rain in the fall. But the rain this year has been as strong as ever before. The Valencia region has experienced the worst rain in 28 years, causing flash floods in many areas. Including in Valencia. provincial capital and caused the deaths of 40 people in the city of Paiporta alone.

Train services in Valécia have been temporarily suspended Schools, museums and public libraries have been suspended. All operations must be closed on Thursday.

Flooding was also reported in several cities in the Murcia region. southeast Spain and south of Valencia with the city of Malaga in Andalucia After heavy rain More than 100 mm of water was measured in some areas, in Malaga, a 71-year-old British man was found dead from hypothermia.

So far, rescue workers are trying to help victims in different cities. More than 1,000 troops were sent to help, but Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said some areas could only be reached by helicopter. Makes helping difficult

Mr. Carlos Mazon, President of the Region of Valencia said that to the media Rescue workers found more dead bodies. Once they started being able to reach areas that had previously been cut off by flooding. Although emergency officers have confirmed that They have been able to reach all the affected areas. on Thursday morning

Dozens of cars were piled up by the flood. in the city of Valencia

Some cities in Valencia The cities of Turis, Shiva and Bunol received more than 400 mm of rain, which corresponds to a whole year’s rain under normal conditions. This caused the weather office AEMET to declare a red warning on Tuesday. before later dropping to an amber color as the rain subsided.

However, many citizens Accuse official officials of The warning announcement was too late. This left people unable to escape the streets and reach higher ground. The information states that the Civil Defense Office did not issue a warning until 8:15 pm on Tuesday, but at that time the city of Shiva and several other cities had been under water for two hours.

In addition, apart from natural disasters Spain also has to deal with man-made threats. Spanish police revealed on Thursday that they have arrested 39 suspected thieves as part of an operation to prevent crime in flood-prone areas. and seized the items such as necklaces, gold rings, and other jewellery. Many more items

As for the cause of the unusually heavy rain in Spain this time. It is believed to be the result of a meteorological phenomenon called a “cold drop” caused by a group of colder air in the atmosphere. Separated from the jet stream, causing it to move more slowly. and often lead to heavy rain events This usually happens in the European autumn.

Flood events that are happening in Spain at the moment The floods caused the greatest number of deaths. Since the great flood in 1973, which resulted in no less than 150 victims, after flooding occurred in the south-eastern region of the country.