[파이낸셜뉴스]
Residents walk along a muddy road in Sedavi, Valencia Province, southeastern Spain, on October 30 (local time) with cars engulfed in rising water. According to preliminary authorities, at least 72 people have died in the floods. AFP Coalition
At least 72 people have died in the floods that hit Spain.
Rescue teams are searching the area using search dogs to find survivors buried in the landslide.
According to foreign media such as the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on October 30 (local time), heavy rain fell across Spain last night, and in some areas, a year’s worth of rainfall fell in just 8 hours.
In the southeastern Valencia region, the hardest-hit Mediterranean region, people were seen holding on to trees to avoid being swept away by rising water.
Bridges also collapsed, and cars and small structures were swept away by muddy water.
This storm covered almost half of Spain.
Almost all parts of Spain were affected by the storm, from the Strait of Gibraltar in the southwest facing Africa to Barcelona in the southeast and Catalonia in the northeast.
Spanish meteorological authorities warned that heavy rain will continue until the 3rd of next month.
In the Barcelona area, companies also finished work early and had employees retire early.
According to the European Extreme Climate Database, more than 31.7 centimeters of rain fell in Chiba, a city west of Valencia, in just four hours last night. The average rainfall in October in the Valencia region is only about 7.6 cm.
Valencia Governor Carlos Mazón lamented that the current death statistics are provisional and that the number of deaths will increase.
“We will confirm the number of deaths in a few hours, but it is impossible to give accurate statistics right now,” said Governor Majon. “We are all in shock.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his gratitude to the rescue workers and condolences to the bereaved families at a press conference.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Prime Minister Sánchez is scheduled to visit the Valencia region on the 30th, but if the situation is not favorable, it may be postponed to the 31st.
Roads and railways in the Valencia region have been seriously damaged by flooding, making travel difficult.
This torrential rain is due to rain clouds created by cold air bubbles traveling more than 960 km through the warm sea of the Mediterranean.
Richard Allen, professor of meteorology at the University of Reading, explained that this air layer lifted Mediterranean seawater like a funnel and poured it up the Spanish mountains, causing persistent, intense rain and severe flooding.
dympna@fnnews.com Reporter Song Kyung-jae
※ Copyright ⓒ Financial News, unauthorized reproduction and redistribution prohibited
