During a catastrophic weather event in Spain, Defense Minister Margarita Robles emphasized that the search for missing individuals is a top priority. While official numbers are unclear, media reports suggest dozens are unaccounted for, raising concerns about whether adequate warnings were issued before the disaster. The recent storms, described as “historic,” have resulted in at least 95 fatalities, primarily in the Valencia region, and prompted a government declaration of three days of national mourning. Rescue efforts are ongoing.
Defense Minister Margarita Robles declared the search for missing persons a top priority for the day, as reported by the TV channel Telecinco. While she did not provide specific numbers, media outlets state that dozens are considered missing. This situation has raised questions about whether authorities issued warnings about the impending danger in a timely manner.
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On Thursday, the Aemet weather service issued a flood warning for the entire Castellón province, which was similarly affected by heavy rainfall on Tuesday in the hard-hit Mediterranean region of Valencia. Until now, this area had been spared from the weather phenomenon that is moving northeast.
92 bodies recovered so far
The full extent of the damage remained unclear even by Thursday afternoon. The minister stated that little was known about the fate of “many” individuals. In Valencia, where 92 of the confirmed 95 fatalities have been identified, the military will now conduct targeted searches in the towns of Paiporta and Masanasa for those in distress.
Robles also refused to engage in the ongoing debate in Spain regarding potential failures in alerting the public about the catastrophic storms. “Everyone knows what they did right and what they didn’t,” she remarked, referencing the disagreement between Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska and Valencia’s regional president, Carlos Mazón, both accusing each other of responsibility for the warning system.
Highest warning level issued as early as 7:30 a.m.
Indeed, civil protection alerts were sent to mobile phones in the Valencia region around 8:10 p.m. on Tuesday, as reconstructed by the state broadcaster RTVE. However, rain had started hours earlier, the newspaper El País noted. It added that Aemet had raised the highest warning level by 7:30 a.m. that day, indicating a very high level of danger.
However, civil protection alerts were only issued later in the evening when the first rivers had already overflowed. Many individuals were on the roads in their cars despite the inclement weather, risking getting stranded or swept away by the currents. The large Ford factory in Almussafes and the University of Valencia had already sent their staff home, according to reports.
Andalusia and Murcia severely affected
Other popular tourist regions along the Mediterranean, such as Andalusia and Murcia, as well as Castilla-La Mancha inland, also faced severe effects from the heavy rains on Tuesday. Intense downpours transformed numerous rivers into torrents and roads into rivers, destroying homes and sweeping away trees, people, and vehicles. The Aemet weather service described it as a “historic storm,” the worst of its kind in Valencia, which recorded the highest number of fatalities.
In some areas, rainfall in a single day reached amounts that typically occur in a whole year—up to 400 liters per square meter in certain locations in the Valencia region, according to Aemet. People, vehicles, trees, and infrastructure were swept away in the floodwaters, leading to widespread devastation. Within eight hours, more rainfall occurred than during the most recent flooding in Austria over five days.
“The situation is dramatic”
“The situation on the ground is dramatic,” stated Gerald Schöpfer, president of the Austrian Red Cross. “Hundreds of colleagues from the Spanish Red Cross are working around the clock to alleviate the consequences of the disaster for those affected. They are assisting with evacuations and rescue operations, supporting those in emergency shelters, and providing aid such as food, blankets, hygiene supplies, and psychosocial support. Emergency services are on constant alert for the injured. It is crucial now to show solidarity and support the Red Cross in its vital work.”
The Austrian Foreign Ministry has no indications that any Austrians have been affected by the disaster. “We currently have no information on this,” a spokesperson stated to APA. “The Austrian Embassy in Madrid is in contact with a handful of Austrian travelers currently in the storm-affected regions of Spain, and they are all safe.” Affected individuals can reach out to the emergency number of the Foreign Ministry (+43 501150-4411) at any time.
“Cold Drop”
The storms in Spain were triggered by the weather phenomenon known as “Cold Drop” (gota fría), which frequently occurs in Spain’s Mediterranean region during September and October. It is characterized by significant temperature fluctuations between the