In eastern Spain, rescue teams today Thursday are urgently working to find survivors after devastating floods claimed at least 95 lives, with dozens still missing, as orrential rains in the Valencia region, amounting to a year’s worth in mere hours.
The unprecedented downpour began Tuesday, flooding entire neighborhoods and stranding residents on rooftops.
Authorities report that Valencia’s emergency services carried out 200 ground rescues and 70 aerial evacuations on Wednesday, as tens of thousands of homes remain without power or clean water, and roads are blocked by vehicles that were swept away.
According to Spain’s weather agency, AEMET, the town of Chiva received an extraordinary 491 millimeters of rain within eight hours on Tuesday, nearly matching the region’s annual average.