The Spanish government has just declared three days of official mourning following the severe flooding caused by the DANA (Isolated Depression at High Levels), which has already taken at least 72 lives, according to the latest update on fatalities.
La actual cifra de fallecidos -que previsiblemente continuará subiendo en las próximas horas- ya sitúa la tragedia como el tercer mayor desastre natural en la historia de España.
The announcement of official mourning was made by the Minister of Territorial Policy, Ángel Víctor Torres, who took the opportunity to urge residents of the affected areas to remain indoors and avoid using roads, many of which are impassable and flooded.
The message was issued following the first report from the Crisis Committee, activated in Moncloa, which the minister presented at a press conference.
The government president, Pedro Sánchez, is scheduled to visit Valencia this Friday.
Meanwhile, the government is doubling its efforts in the rescue operations.
Sánchez promises "all the resources of the State"
In an institutional statement, Pedro Sánchez referred to this DANA as the "worst" in recent years.
"On behalf of the Government, I want to express our solidarity and compassion to the families of the deceased," Sánchez stated, as he directed a message to those still searching for their loved ones.
"Spain mourns with you. Our priority is to assist you; we are working in coordination to mobilize all necessary resources for recovery after this tragedy. We will not leave you alone," he stated.
The president promised to use "all the resources of the State, and if necessary, from the European Union," to "rebuild homes and lives."
"We will rebuild your streets, bridges... Spain stands with you," he concluded.
The DANA has primarily impacted the Valencia Community and Castilla-La Mancha, although there are also reports of flooding in some areas of Andalusia.
The situation remains critical, with dozens of people missing, particularly in the provinces of Valencia, Letur, and Cuenca.
The Valencian Generalitat has made the phone number 900365112 available to the public for inquiries regarding missing persons.
Rescue operations have continued throughout the night and into this morning, with emergency teams working in a challenging situation due to the collapse of several roads and failures in telecommunications services.
José Miguel Basset, head of the provincial fire consortium of the Valencia Diputación, reported that several hundred people are still trapped on the A-3 and A-5 highways, with access to the affected areas being extremely difficult.
In light of the magnitude of the emergency, the government has formed a crisis committee, while the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Carlos Mazón, called a meeting at six in the morning to coordinate rescue and assistance efforts.
The effects of the DANA have left a trail of destruction: cars swept away by the current, destroyed bridges, rescues under extreme conditions, and material damages estimated in millions of euros.
Social media has been flooded with images of people trying to take shelter in high places to escape the floods.
The situation has been described as "exceptional" by the State Meteorological Agency, which compared this DANA to the historical storms of 1987 and 1982, recalling the "Pantanada de Tous," a devastating event in the region.
The accumulated rainfall over 24 hours reached 445.4 l/m², the highest recorded since 1966 in the Valencia Community, according to the initial report provided by AEMET on the social media platform X.
The Military Emergency Unit (UME) has deployed over 1,000 personnel in the province of Valencia to assist with rescue and evacuation efforts.
The Institute of Forensic Medicine of Valencia has dispatched nine forensic teams to conduct identifications and recover bodies at the accident sites. The remains will be transferred to the City of Justice in Valencia, where a space has been prepared for receiving and conducting autopsies.
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