Spain is now grappling to address its worst floods in decades as a result of Storm Dana, which began Tuesday. The resulting natural disaster has now claimed at least 158 lives, while an undetermined number of people are still missing, according to the Spanish news agency EFE. 155 died in the region of Valencia, two people died in neighboring Castilla-La Mancha, and one person died in Andalusia. Approximately 300 people remain cut off.
Valencia bore the brunt of the devastation, experiencing its heaviest rainfall in 28 years. Flash floods inundated the once bustling urban coastal city with a population exceeding 5 million, transforming the surrounding rural villages into lakes and severing major highways overnight. Floodwaters surged into homes, trapping residents in basements and lower floors.
Emergency responders have been working tirelessly to rescue those stranded and to recover bodies from the debris and storm surge.
As rescue operations continue, the city’s courthouse has been repurposed into a temporary morgue to accommodate the increasing number of casualties.
In the nearby town of Paiporta, at least 40 people, including six residents of a retirement home, perished in the floods. The mayor reported these tragic losses as search and recovery efforts intensified. Public transportation, including trains, are now at a standstill in Valencia, and schools, museums, and libraries have closed until further notice.
The torrential rains also struck areas around Murcia and Malaga, where over four inches of rain inundated communities. In Malaga, a 71-year-old British man lost his life due to hypothermia amid the chaos. Survivors recount harrowing experiences, with one man describing the flood as an overpowering force that swept away everything he owned in just 30 minutes.
“We felt powerless,” he said, recounting how his wife had to carry their daughter through water that reached chest-height to find safety in a hotel.
As the cleanup begins, volunteers in Valencia’s La Torre neighborhood are taking to the streets to help clear debris. However, frustration simmers among residents who claim they received no government warnings about the impending flood until it was already too late.
In response to the disaster, Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced the deployment of more than 1,000 military personnel to assist in rescue operations, with some areas accessible only by helicopter. Valencia’s regional leader, Carlos Mazon, reported that bodies surfaced as rescuers reached previously isolated areas.