Several persons have been confirmed dead, with bodies found after a heavy flood hit some parts of southern and eastern Spain that were affected by a heavy flash flood on Tuesday. It was indicated that some of the cities had received rain that went up to 12 inches in just a few hours of the downpour.
Some of the images and videos shot in Valencia indicated that the water flowing through the cities was mud-coloured, tearing down walls and sweeping away parked cars.
Speaking on the incident, Valencia’s regional leader Carlos Mazon noted early on Wednesday that some dead bodies were found in the city while rescue operations workers were able to reach some locations that were taken over by flood in the last hours.
Valencia’s regional leader, Carlos Mazon, told reporters early Wednesday that some bodies were found as rescue teams began to reach areas previously cut off by the floods. He noted that it was unfortunate that some bodies were found in the incident but the details of persons could not be provided unless by the families
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez noted that the number of persons who were missing from the disaster had been ascertained by the authorities. The prime minister told residents to act with every act of caution and avoid any form of government unless it is very important
According to the Palace of La Moncloa, the Spanish government set up a crisis committee on Tuesday. It will be chaired by Sánchez and, starting Wednesday, will coordinate the work of the Civil Guard, the National Police, the General Directorate of Civil Protection, and the Military Emergency Unit.
According to the European Severe Weather Database, rainfall appraisals were exceeded in even shorter periods in some locations. Chiva, located east of Valencia, received 320 mm of rain in just over four hours. The Valencia area averages 77 mm (3.03 inches) for the entire month of October.
The authorities also reported some flooding in Murcia and Malaga, with over 100 mm (4 inches) of rain falling in some areas.
A strong upper-level low pressure is moving northward into the region from Africa, bringing significant atmospheric instability to the region. Extreme amounts of rainfall are also being enhanced by moisture from the Mediterranean Sea and upslope flow into higher terrain, which squeezes out additional moisture.
AEMET continues rainfall warnings for portions of eastern and southern Spain through Wednesday. The warnings north of Valencia concern rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm (4 inches) and rainfall rates of 30 mm per hour (1.18 inches per hour).
The authorities noted that the threat of heavy rain will continue through the end of the week in areas of southwestern Spain.
