Spain reels from deadly floods as DANA continues to wreak havoc
Nearly 160 people have been killed due to flooding in the south-eastern regions of Spain. Authorities emphasise that the threat has not yet passed. Red alerts remain in force in several towns.
The atmospheric phenomenon DANA remains active in Valencia and western Andalusia. Red alerts have been issued for Huelva, Andévalo, and Condado coastal areas. In several other regions, orange or yellow alerts are in effect, according to "El País".
As a result of the tragic floods, 158 people have died, 155 of them in the province of Valencia. The highest number of casualties—62—occurred in the town of Paiporta near the city of Valencia. Authorities do not rule out that the death toll may rise since some people are still missing.
In La Torre, a southern district of Valencia, where eight bodies were found in an underground car park on Thursday, hundreds of people arrived with food, water, and cleaning tools to assist the residents.
Transport in the province is paralysed. Access roads to Valencia remain closed, and authorities advise against travelling on any roads in the province. The express rail link to Madrid will not operate for two to three weeks, according to the Ministry of Transport. Tens of thousands of people are still without power.
Several looters detained
The government has mobilised over 1,200 soldiers from a special rescue unit (UME) to assist victims and clear the towns. An additional 500 soldiers were sent to Valencia on Friday. 1,800 police officers are also participating in operations in flood-affected areas.
According to the EFE agency, hundreds of constables from the Civil Guard are also in the field, and they have carried out a total of 3,400 rescue operations in Valencia alone. These operations included saving people and preventing looting. As reported by Cadena SER radio, the police have arrested several people for thefts in shops in flood-affected areas.
Worst disaster in 50 years
Severe storms, floods, and inundations are caused by the atmospheric phenomenon known in Spain as DANA (Spanish: depresión aislada en niveles altos). It occurs when cold air meets warm and humid air over the Mediterranean Sea, leading to extreme weather events such as storms, tornadoes, and floods.
A three-day national mourning period has been in place in Spain since Thursday, announced a day earlier by Pedro Sánchez's government. The Prime Minister and Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition People's Party (PP), visited the crisis coordination centre in Valencia on Thursday. "The Spanish government will not leave you alone," Sánchez assured residents of the province, warning that DANA still poses a threat.
The current atmospheric disaster is the most serious in Spain since 1973, when torrential rains, which destroyed several cities in Murcia and Andalusia in southern Spain, resulted in around 300 deaths, recalled "El Mundo".
