Floods in Spain: Horrifying details emerge about the deaths of victims in Valencia

CNN
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The full horror of Spain's flash floods began to be felt on Friday as fresh rains swept across southern parts of the country.

The storm killed at least 205 people, 202 of them in the hardest-hit Valencia region, the region's emergency services said Friday.

It is Spain's deadliest natural disaster in decades.

The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers struggle to rescue those trapped and recover bodies. Authorities warned on Friday that roads had collapsed in some areas and rescue workers were no longer able to access.

The country has experienced severe fall storms in recent years, but nothing comes close to the devastation wrought in recent days.

More and more details are emerging about the devastation in the Valencia region. Residents report extensive damage and horrific encounters with the rapidly rising water. In the region's capital, Valencia, a courthouse was converted into a makeshift morgue.

In the La Torre district, where water rose to chest height, volunteers continue to search for more missing people.

Rescue workers discovered the bodies of seven people in an underground car park there on Thursday, the national broadcaster RTVE reported, citing the police.

The father of one of those who died in the parking garage, a local police officer, told Spain's El Mundo The newspaper said residents rushed to move their cars, but the water rose faster than people expected, trapping them. Another woman was pulled into the parking lot by running water and died, he said.

The town of Paiporta in Valencia, where at least 62 people died, was described by Spanish public broadcaster RTVE as “ground zero of the tragedy”.

A witness who was caught in the flash flood there told RTVE he saw several cars driving past him with people begging for help. Many drivers got onto a highway and had their cars swept away when the road appeared to merge into a nearby river. A bridge also collapsed in the area.

At least six people died in a nursing home on the outskirts of the city, the mayor of Paiporta told the Spanish national broadcaster. While staff managed to get most of the elderly people to the first floor, they were unable to save everyone.

Streets are still covered in mud in many areas, and Valencia's mayor shared images of cleanup efforts in the municipality on Friday. “Vehicles are being removed, the square is being cleaned and food and water are being collected,” Mayor María José Catalá said of La Torre.

Heavy rain continued to fall in parts of Spain on Friday and authorities issued a red warning overnight for the Huelva coast in Andalucia, which received 140 mm (5.5 inches) of rainfall in just 12 hours. Orange and yellow warnings also remain in effect in isolated parts of Valencia.