Spanish rescue teams searched flooded fields and stranded cars for people still missing after devastating floods in the Valencia region claimed at least 158 lives. Forecasts of more severe weather prompted storm alerts further north.
Local authorities have not disclosed the number of people unaccounted for after what has become Europe’s deadliest flood in years. However, Defense Minister Margarita Robles warned on Thursday that the death toll was expected to rise.
The toll surged to 158 on Thursday, emergency services and officials confirmed.
The coordinating body for rescue operations in eastern Valencia reported that 155 bodies had been recovered so far.
Rescue teams used helicopters to airlift survivors to safety from flooded areas and sifted through thick mud and vehicle wreckage to locate more bodies.
As seen in television footage, heavy machinery, including diggers and tractors equipped with water pumps, was brought in to clear debris from the streets.
The floods severely damaged Valencia’s infrastructure, sweeping away bridges, roads, rail tracks, and buildings as rivers overflowed.
Transport Minister Oscar Puente said approximately 80 km (50 miles) of roads in the eastern region were heavily damaged or rendered impassable. Many were blocked by abandoned vehicles.
“Unfortunately, there are bodies in some vehicles,” Puente told reporters, adding that restoring the high-speed rail connection between Valencia and Madrid could take two to three weeks.
Calmer weather returned on Thursday to the areas hardest hit around Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city. However, AEMET, the national weather agency, issued its highest alert level for Castellon province. An amber alert was also issued for Tarragona in the Catalonia region further north.
Meteorologists reported that some parts of Valencia received a year’s worth of rainfall in just eight hours on Tuesday, leading to pile-ups on highways and submerging farmland in a region that produces about two-thirds of Spain’s citrus fruit, making it one of the world’s top orange exporters.
The storm responsible for the torrential downpours has since moved northeastward.
“Very strong storms are already present in the area, especially in northern Castellon,” AEMET warned on its X account. “Adverse weather continues! Beware!” the agency added, advising against travel to the area.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited a rescue coordination center in L’Eliana, near Valencia, and urged residents to stay indoors due to the threat of further storms.
“Right now, the most important thing is to protect as many lives as possible,” he told reporters.
Residents described scenes of people climbing onto the roofs of their cars as a raging brown torrent swept through streets on Tuesday, uprooting trees and tearing away chunks of buildings.
