Madrid: At least 95 people have been killed in flooding as torrential rain battered Spain’s eastern region of Valencia and the neighbouring provinces of Albacete and Cuenca, according to Angel Victor Torres, Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory.
Exceptionally heavy rainfall, totalling over 400 litres per square metre, flooded parts of Valencia and the provinces of Albacete and Cuenca within just a few hours between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.
More than 60 roads have been closed due to flooding, including major highways along the eastern coast and between Madrid and Valencia, reports Xinhua news agency. Local train services have been halted, and the high-speed rail connection between Valencia and the capital is also suspended.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit the affected regions on Thursday, the government said in an official communique.
Sanchez convened an emergency cabinet meeting Wednesday morning and made a formal declaration at midday, pledging full support from his government to the families of flood victims.
Around 1,000 members of the Spanish Military’s Emergency Response United (UME) have been deployed to the affected areas, assisting with rescue and clean-up efforts. However, operations have been hampered by power outages and collapsed phone networks in many areas.
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.
–IANS
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