At least six people have died in record-breaking floods in south-east Spain, with more than 1,100 military personnel deployed to the Murcia and Valencia regions to rescue those trapped by rising waters. A 41-year-old man was found dead in Orihuela on Saturday, bringing the total fatalities from torrential rain over the past two days to six.
The latest victim was discovered in Orihuela, about 34 miles from Alicante, where acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the emergency response centre. “Sadly, we mourn another fatality in Orihuela,” Sánchez tweeted. Three men died on Friday, including one who attempted to drive through a flooded tunnel in Almería, and two siblings perished on Thursday when their car was swept away by floodwaters.
Spain’s national weather agency maintained its third-highest alert level for several areas of central and southern Spain. The meteorological office Aemet had forecast torrential downpours of up to 90mm per hour, issuing red alerts for Valencia and Mallorca, while Almería, Murcia, Ibiza and Formentera remained on orange alert.
One of the worst-hit areas was Ontinyent, south of Valencia, where the Clariano River flooded streets on Wednesday night. Mayor Jorge Rodríguez said the town experienced its heaviest rainfall on record, with over 400mm by Thursday afternoon. Muddy water washed away cars and nearly reached the tops of front doors along the riverbank, while the Pantano de Almansa dam overflowed.
Almería and Murcia airports remained closed on Friday due to the heavy rains. Sánchez expressed condolences to the families of the victims and urged caution, tweeting: “A difficult and intense night… Let’s step up the precautions.”
