Death toll from Spain's flash flood rises to at least 158: emergency service

MADRID -- The death toll from rain-triggered flash floods in Spain has risen to at least 158, with the number likely to increase in the coming days, according to emergency rescue services in the country on Thursday afternoon.

In Valencia alone, at least 155 fatalities were confirmed from the floods that struck between Tuesday night and Wednesday, the regional authority reported.

In a post on social media platform X, the emergency coordination center of the Valencian region stated that rescue workers were still searching for and identifying victims.

Three additional deaths were reported in Andalusia and Castile-La Mancha, according to the regional emergency services.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the Center for Coordinated and Integrated Operations (CECOPI) on Thursday in the Valencian region, warning that the extreme weather responsible for the torrential rain and flash floods is "not over."

CECOPI is overseeing rescue and recovery efforts in Valencia, which experienced its heaviest rainfall since September 1966, with over 400 liters per square meter falling in some areas within just a few hours between Tuesday night and early Wednesday.

The intense rainfall triggered flash floods that swept away people and vehicles, trapped residents inside their homes, and caused extensive damage to property and infrastructure.

TV footage from the Valencia region shows cars stacked atop one another, with major roads linking Valencia to Madrid and Barcelona still impassable. Residents are seen clearing mud from their flooded homes, businesses, and garages, while others, covered in mud, carry belongings salvaged from the debris.

Eyewitnesses tell harrowing accounts of people searching for missing family members and receiving frantic calls from relatives trapped at home or inside vehicles. This trauma is exacerbated by widespread power outages and downed phone networks in many areas.

In Paiporta, a small town, authorities have reported 45 fatalities as torrents up to three meters high surged through the streets.

"People of Valencia, we are not going to leave you alone," Sanchez said, pledging all necessary resources and efforts to save as many lives as possible.

At an event in Madrid, King Felipe VI expressed his sorrow over the catastrophic event. He also warned that the emergency was not yet over, as further torrential rains are forecasted for the northern part of the region on Thursday.

Transport Minister Oscar Puente said that the high-speed rail line between Valencia and Madrid would remain out of service for at least two weeks after torrential rains collapsed two tunnels, damaging the tracks. Puente also confirmed that around 80 km of local and regional railway tracks in Valencia were destroyed by the flooding.

Around 1,000 members of the Spanish Military's Emergency Response Unit have been deployed to the affected areas, assisting in rescue and clean-up operations. Authorities fear that more bodies may be discovered in the coming hours or days.

Meteorologists attribute the torrential rain to a phenomenon known as "isolated high-altitude depression," or DANA in Spanish, which occurs when a cold air front crosses the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea. While its impacts are often localized, similar events wreaked havoc in 1966 and 1957, with the River Turia overflowing and devastating the city of Valencia.

The government has declared three days of official mourning, while the Spanish Football Federation has confirmed the postponement of all matches in Valencia, including a scheduled game between Valencia and Real Madrid due on Saturday.