A catastrophic flash flood has claimed over 200 lives in Spain’s Valencia region following torrential and historic rains that left roads and towns underwater, according to authorities.
VALENCIA, Spain – More than 200 people have died in Spain as a result of unprecedented floods that have ravaged the region, marking the deadliest weather disaster in the country’s modern history.
Pope Francis on Friday offered prayers for those who perished and their families after the storm unleashed its fury on the Iberian Peninsula’s eastern coast, including the hard-hit region of Valencia.
“May the Lord sustain those who suffer and those who bring relief. Our closeness to the people of Valencia,” the pontiff said speaking of the region that bore the brunt of the devastation.
WHAT MAKES A ‘DANA’ STORM LIKE THE ONE CAUSING DEADLY FLOODING IN SPAIN?
Members of the fire brigade, which are part of a search and rescue unit, carry out work as cars and debris block a tunnel on the border of Benetusser and Alfafar municipalities after the recent flash flooding on November 1, 2024 on the border of Benetusser and Alfafar municipalities of Valencia, Spain.
(David Ramos / Getty Images)
At least 202 lives have been lost with most reported in Valencia, according to the town’s Emergency Coordination Center. Three have died in Castilla La Mancha and Andalusia. The process of searching for and identifying victims continues Friday.
The storm that wreaked havoc on Spain’s eastern coast dumped a year’s worth of rain in just eight hours. The mountain town of Chiva, west of Valencia, was inundated with 19.33 inches of rain in eight hours, with some areas experiencing rainfall rates of 6.5 inches per hour.
More than 500 soldiers were deployed to Valencia to assist survivors and search for the missing.
THE SEARCH FOR MISSING PEOPLE DUE TO SPAIN FLOODING CONTINUES
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People walk past piles of cars swept up after the recent flash flooding in the nearby municipality Alfafar on November 1, 2024 in the Alfafar municipality of Valencia, Spain. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
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A woman reacts crying as she stands at the entrance of her house on November 1, 2024 following the devastating effects of flooding on the town of Paiporta, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain. (JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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People remove mud from the street on November 1, 2024 following the devastating effects of flooding on a residential area in the town of Massanassa, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain. ( JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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This picture taken on November 1, 2024 shows the devastating effects of flooding on a cemetery in the town of Alfafar, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain. ( JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Cars and a campervan are strewn over railway tracks after being swept up in the recent flash flooding in the nearby municipality Alfafar on November 1, 2024 in the Alfafar municipality of Valencia, Spain. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
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People walk by cars and trucks that were among the debris swept up in recent flash flooding along the V-31 highway near the municipality of Massanassa on November 1, 2024 on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
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Two Civil Guard rescuers search a river November 1, 2024, following the devastating effects of flooding on the town of Paiporta, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain. (MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)
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People queue for supplies close to a pile of wrecked cars on November 1, 2024, following the devastating effects of flooding on the town of Paiporta, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain. (MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)
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A man sits behind a big pile of mud on November 1, 2024, following the devastating effects of flooding on the town of Paiporta, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain. (JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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This picture taken on November 1, 2024 shows the devastating effects of flooding on a residential area in the town of Massanassa, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain. (JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images)
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People clear mud and possessions from their homes after the recent flash flooding in the nearby municipality Alfafar on November 1, 2024 in the Alfafar municipality of Valencia, Spain. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
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People throw away a bakery table from a bakery after the recent flash flooding after heavy rain and flooding hit large parts of the country on October 31, 2024 in Utiel, in Valencia province, Spain. (Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images)
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A woman walks along a muddy street on November 1, 2024, following the devastating effects of flooding on the town of Paiporta, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain. (MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)
Thousands of volunteers from across the region were rushing to help out Friday with recovery efforts. In the town of Pinanya, hundreds used shovels and brooms to clean the mud from the streets and buildings. Spanish rescuers opened a temporary morgue in a convention center and struggled to reach areas still cut off amid floodwaters.
WATCH: STRANDED DRIVERS RESCUED AS DEADLY FLOODING HITS SPAIN
Thousands of volunteers from across Valencia region rushed on Friday to help out with cleaning efforts at worst-hit areas affected by deadly flooding in eastern Spain.
Aerial footage filmed from a military helicopter Thursday showed widespread flooding continuing in Valencia. The Spanish Air and Space Force said the footage was shot while the crew of a NH90 helicopter was engaged in a six-and-a-half-hour rescue mission.
Spain’s Military Emergency Unit (UME) crews were seen inspecting the damage and searching basement carparks and buildings in Valencia overnight Thursday, using trained dogs.
A police officer was forced to use bedsheets to rescue his neighbor who was being dragged away by floodwaters in Valencia on Wednesday.
The Spanish National Police released a video showing cars submerged in floodwaters. A woman can be seen in the water, clinging to sheets tied to a makeshift rope.
AERIAL VIDEO SHOWS WIDESPREAD FLOODING DEVASTATION IN SPAIN
A police officer used bedsheets to rescue his neighbor who was being dragged away by floodwaters in Valencia, Spain, on Wednesday.
“Our colleague Daniel … being off duty last night managed to keep a neighbour afloat when she was being dragged by the current in Benetuser,” police captioned the video. “Moments before, he saved another neighbour thanks to a rope he made with sheets.”
The catastrophe could become Europe’s worst storm-related disaster in over five decades.
In 2021, at least 185 people died in heavy flooding in Germany. Prior to that, 209 people died in Romania in 1970, and floods in Portugal in 1967 killed nearly 500 people.