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At least 64 people have been killed in the deadliest flooding to hit Spain for three decades after torrential rain battered the eastern region of Valencia on Tuesday, leaving some areas impossible to reach.
Rescuers using dinghies worked through the night to scour the floodwaters, taking several people to safety in the town of Utiel, footage showed.
Meteorologists said a year's rain had fallen in the space of eight hours in parts of Valencia, battering farms in a region responsible for almost two-thirds of citrus fruit grown in Spain, one of the globe's top producers.
Just absolutely terrifying scenes from Chiva, the home of the Valencia Grand Prix. Praying that everyone is OK pic.twitter.com/3O0Xm0uLUQ
— Simon Patterson (@denkmit) October 30, 2024
Denis Hlavaty told how he had spent the night trapped in the gas station where he works as the waters rose, and how other people had climbed on the roofs of their cars to survive.
"It's a river that came through. The doors were torn away and I spent the night there, surrounded by water that was 2 meter deep. I stayed on the top of a shelf, the only one left as the whole gas station had disappeared," he said, still in his mud-caked uniform.
Carlos Mazon, the regional leader of Valencia, said some people remained isolated in inaccessible locations.
"If (emergency services) have not arrived, it's not due to a lack of means or predisposition, but a problem of access," Mazon told a press conference, adding that reaching certain areas was "absolutely impossible".
At least 62 people died in Valencia while authorities in the central inland region of Castilla La Mancha said the storm, which has swept through much of Spain's Mediterranean coast, had left two people dead and several missing.
Radio and TV stations were receiving hundreds of calls for help from citizens trapped in flooded areas or searching for loved ones, as emergency services were unable to reach all affected areas.
"If (emergency services) have not arrived, it's not due to a lack of means or predisposition, but a problem of access," said the regional leader of Valencia, Carlos Mazon, adding that reaching certain areas was "absolutely impossible".
Footage showed firefighters rescuing trapped drivers amid heavy rain in the Valencian town of Alzira and flooded streets with stuck cars.
Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Meteorologists believe the warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in making torrential rains more severe.
Schools and other essential services were suspended in the worst-hit areas.
Local emergency services requested the help of UME, a military unit specialised in rescue operations, in the area of Utiel-Requena, where farmers' association ASAJA said the storm was causing significant damage to crops.
