Spain floods: Rescuers search for victims as death toll rises to 158

Three days of mourning begin after up to a year's worth of rain fell in a few hours in Valencia

Rescuers searched fields and stranded cars in the Valencia region of Spain on Thursday for people missing in floods that have wreaked havoc, killing dozens, amid fears the death toll will rise.

Spain’s worst flooding in decades, caused by rainstorms that started on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, left towns submerged in muddy water with overturned cars scattered in the streets.

Authorities confirmed on Thursday that the death toll had reached 158 and they are continuing to search for an unknown number of missing people.

“Unfortunately, there are dead people inside some vehicles,” said Transport Minister Oscar Puente.

Regional authorities said late on Wednesday that no one appeared to be still stranded on rooftops or needing to be rescued from cars after helicopters saved about 70 people. “Our priority is to find the victims and the missing so we can help end the suffering of their families,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said after meeting with regional officials and emergency services in Valencia on Thursday, the first of three official days of mourning.

About 1,000 troops joined police and firefighters to search for bodies. The toll will rise because “there are many missing people”, Territorial Policy Minister Angel Victor Torres said on Wednesday.

Spanish floods – in pictures

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  People walk through mud and debris after flash floods in the Paiporta area of Valencia, Spain. EPA

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  The deadly floods left cars strewn across streets in Sedavi, Valencia. Reuters

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  The flooding was caused by storms that brought heavy rain to high ground in the region. Reuters

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  People walk cars swept aside by the flash floods, in the Alfafar municipality. Getty Images

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  A flooded cemetery in Paiporta. Reuters

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  Flood damage in Alfafar. Authorities in Spain have been accused of failing to warn residents in time. Reuters

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  Vehicles submerged by floodwater in Valencia. AP

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  Vehicles piled up after being swept away by floods in Valencia, Spain. AP

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  Debris and cars jammed on a bridge after flooding in Torrent, Valencia. Reuters

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  A man places a blanket at the entrance of a garage to keep out flood water, in Castellon de la Plana, Valencia. EPA

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  Cars and lorries swept off a motorway in Valencia. AP

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  Wading through flood water in Castellon de la Plana. EPA

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  The floods killed dozens and caused damage estimated to be worth hundreds of millions. Reuters

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  People clean their houses affected by floods in Utiel, Spain. AP

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  A man outside his house affected by floods in Utiel. AP

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  Residents inspect cars swept away by the deadly floods in Alfafar neighbourhood, south of Valencia. AFP

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  VALENCIA, SPAIN - OCTOBER 30: A man walks by a destroyed road after flash floods hit the region on October 30, 2024 in the Sedaví area of Valencia, Spain. Spanish authorities said on Wednesday that at least 62 people had died in the Valencia region overnight after flash-flooding followed heavy rain. Spain's meteorological agency had issued its highest alert for the region due to extreme rainfall. (Photo by David Ramos / Getty Images)

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  The emergency services rescue people trapped in their homes in Letur, Albacete. AP

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  A man takes photos of the Turia River after heavy rainfall hits the Valencia region. EPA

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  Water has entered houses in the city of Valencia. AP

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  Traffic is halted beside the River Turia in Valencia. Spain's meteorological agency had issued its highest alert for the region. Getty Images

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  This pier at Gola de Putxol in Albufera, Valencia, has been totally submerged. EPA

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  A furniture factory in La Alcudia was badly affected, with many items damaged. Reuters

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  People wade through the streets in Valencia. AP

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  The emergency services free a person trapped after the damage caused in Letur, Albacete. AP

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  The emergency services rescue residents who were trapped in their homes in Valencia. AP

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  Cars were also trapped by the rising water level. AP

Up to a year's worth of rain fell on Valencia in a matter of hours, with the national weather service saying it rained more there in eight hours than in the previous 20 months, calling the deluge “extraordinary”. Authorities said Paiporta had been devastated with about 40 people dead, including a mother and baby swept away by a torrent.

At dawn on Thursday, tens of thousands of homes were still without electricity and drinking water and many roads were blocked by hundreds of overturned cars and lorries. Emergency services carried out 200 rescues on the ground and 70 aerial evacuations on Wednesday, said Valencia regional government chief Carlos Mazon.

Residents wait for news of their relatives trapped during the floods in Valencia. AP

Valencia's emergency services had announced a provisional death of 92, adding that bodies were still being recovered. Two people died in neighbouring Castilla-La Mancha and another victim was reported in Andalusia in the south, officials said.

Located south of Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast, Valencia is a tourist destination known for its beaches, citrus orchards and for originating the rice dish paella. The region has gorges and small riverbeds that spend much of the year completely dry but quickly fill with water when it rains. Many of them pass through populated areas.

Members of the local police react to the news that one of their colleagues died in the floods in Valencia. AP

King Felipe VI said he was “devastated” by the disaster and offered “heartfelt condolences” to the families of the victims.

Damage to telephone networks and flooded roads hampered efforts to reach stricken communities but rescuers' access to all urban centres was restored by Wednesday evening, Mr Mazon said. Some 155,000 homes were without electricity in the Valencia region due to the storm, energy company Iberdrola said.

The European Union activated its Copernicus satellite system to help co-ordinate Spanish rescue teams, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels. The bloc has also offered to use its civil protection mechanism to send further reinforcements, she said.

Valencia before and after the floods

Officials in the Valencia region said survivors were being sheltered in temporary accommodation such as fire stations. Rail and air transport remained severely disrupted. The high-speed line between Valencia and Madrid will be suspended for at least four days, the Adif rail infrastructure authority announced.

The flood toll is Spain's deadliest since 1973 when at least 150 people were estimated to have died in the south-eastern provinces of Granada, Murcia and Almeria.

Scientists have warned that extreme weather events such as the storm that hit Valencia are becoming more intense, last longer and occur more frequently as a result of human-induced climate change.