Search for missing people underway after devastating storm kills 95 in Spain

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Search and rescue efforts continued in Spain on Thursday after a historic storm killed at least 95 people and caused widespread destruction in the province of Valencia, with many people still missing.

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said authorities still cannot offer a precise number, but that “many people” remain missing.

Around 1,000 soldiers were deployed on Thursday morning, and their main priority is finding the missing.

“We know that in places like Paiporta and Massanassa, there might be people in garages, in basements—people who went out to find their vehicles,” Robles said in an interview with broadcaster Telecinco.

The worst of the storm hit Tuesday, when nearly a year’s worth of rain fell in a matter of hours, causing flash floods, river overflows, and streets in towns and cities to turn into powerful rivers.

The storm’s intensity caught thousands off guard. Residents, many returning from work, were rapidly trapped in vehicles. Others became stranded in their homes, work places, restaurants or shopping centers, desperately awaiting rescue as the waters rose.

The government of Valencia only sent an emergency alert to phones late Tuesday evening, asking people to stay indoors or seek high ground, by which point much of the damage had already been done.

Emergency services were quickly overwhelmed by the volume of calls and unable to reach the hardest-hit areas.

- Damage to infrastructure

Aside from the human tragedy, there has been incalculable damage to infrastructure.

Thousands of households still do not have connections to electricity or drinking water. They are also completely isolated due to road and rail closures.

In a press conference on Thursday, Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente announced that the popular high-speed rail line between Madrid and Valencia will be closed for at least two to three weeks. Two tunnels that it passes under are severely damaged, and workers will have to completely reinstall the rail line, he said.

Some local rail lines are in even worse condition, which he estimates will take “many months” to repair.

Meanwhile, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) of highway in Valencia has been severely damaged. “Mountains of cars” continue to line roads that are key for the area’s connectivity, Puente added.

Political finger-pointing has also begun over one of the worst natural disasters in Spain’s history.

Opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo held a joint press conference with the conservative leader of Valencia on Wednesday, saying that although the regional government was responsible for issuing the alert, it was acting on information provided by central government agencies.

However, Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET issued a red alert warning of “extreme danger” on Tuesday morning, around 12 hours before the local government sent a warning to phones.

The historic storm has decreased in intensity but continues to drench parts of Spain. The province of Castellon remains on red alert for heavy rainfall on Thursday.

On Wednesday, further flooding was reported in other areas of the country, including southern Andalusia.

Of the victims so far, 92 were in Valencia, but victims were also found in the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, and Malaga.

Spain has declared three national days of mourning.

On Thursday, the European Union’s headquarters flew flags at half-mast.

“The floods in Spain are not only a national tragedy. It’s also a European one. As such, it will receive a European response,” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X Wednesday evening.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is visiting the affected areas on Thursday.