Madrid, November 2 (IANS). The recent terrible floods in Spain have affected the entire country. The floods have left 205 people confirmed dead, and have caused widespread devastation in eastern and south-eastern regions of the country – such as Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia.
According to Xinhua News Agency, the ground in this area could not absorb the heavy rain water, which led to sudden floods due to heavy rain on Tuesday night.
Such videos have surfaced on social media in which flood waves up to three meters high are washing away cars and stacking them like toys. At many places, bridges were washed away, railway tunnels collapsed, and fields were submerged in water. People climbed onto the roofs of houses and cars to save their lives, but not everyone could escape safely.
The death toll was reported at 12 on Wednesday morning, but has now risen to 205 – 202 in Valencia, 2 in Castilla-La Mancha and 1 in Andalusia.
The Feria Exhibition Center in Valencia had to be converted into a temporary mortuary. Many people are still missing, so the death toll is likely to increase further. According to the Spanish newspaper, 1,900 people are still missing. Eyewitnesses in the affected areas reported that many people ran to underground garages to save their cars and became trapped in the water. Many such painful stories are coming in the media, where family members made last calls from vehicles stuck in rising waters.
More than 130,000 homes lost power due to the floods and as of Friday, 23,000 homes still had power restored.
Flooding has left the Valencia region almost isolated. The high-speed rail link between Madrid and Valencia, in which two tunnels collapsed, has been closed for three weeks. About 80 km of local rail lines and 100 roads have been damaged. On Friday the government allocated 25 million euros (about $27 million) for emergency repairs.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the affected areas on Thursday and assured widespread relief assistance. The government has declared three days of mourning, and all sporting events in the Valencia region have been suspended.
Around 2,000 troops along with 400 vehicles and 15 helicopters have been deployed in relief and rescue operations. Hundreds of volunteers are helping to clean streets and homes in Valencia. However, police said that 60 people have been arrested for looting.
Relief materials and economic aid are arriving from across Spain, and organizations such as the Red Cross have created special funds for flood relief. The international community has also offered assistance.
Three days after severe flooding, the threat of further rain still looms over Valencia, and warnings have been issued for Huelva, Castellón, Mallorca, and Catalonia.
–IANS
AS
