Relentless storms batter eastern Spain, flooding Barcelona and hampering search efforts in hard-hit Valencia. Climate factors fuel deadliest flooding in memory.
The devastating storms that have ravaged eastern Spain have continued to wreak havoc, with Barcelona now facing the brunt of the downpours.
Authorities have been forced to suspend commuter rail service in the northeast Catalonia region, home to 8 million people, as the torrential rains show no signs of abating.
The Spanish Transport Minister, Óscar Puente, decided to halt the rail service at the request of civil protection officials, citing the “extreme and continued rainfall” in the southern outskirts of the city.
Air traffic controllers have also been compelled to reroute 15 flights at Barcelona’s airport due to the severe weather conditions.
Meanwhile, in the hard-hit region of Valencia, the search for victims continues, with authorities still unable to provide a reliable estimate of the missing.
Soldiers, police, and firefighters have been scouring the area, including the submerged underground parking lot of a massive shopping center, in a gargantuan effort to clear the mud and debris left behind by the devastating floods.
The scale of the destruction has left many citizens feeling abandoned by the authorities, as evidenced by the angry protests that greeted the Spanish royal couple, the prime minister and regional leaders during their visit to Paiporta, where over 60 people lost their lives and survivors have been left without basic necessities like drinking water.
Climate experts attribute the severity of the flooding to a combination of a cut-off low-pressure storm system, which was likely fueled by the record-hot Mediterranean Sea, and an unusually wavy and stalled jet stream.
This deadly confluence of factors has produced the deadliest flooding in living memory for Spain, underscoring the ongoing challenges posed by the changing climate.
As the nation grapples with this disaster, the Spanish navy’s “Galicia” transport vessel has arrived in Valencia’s port, bringing much-needed aid in the form of marines, helicopters, and supplies to support the relief effort.
With thousands of soldiers and police officers already on the ground, the fight to restore normalcy and provide aid to the affected communities continues in the face of this relentless natural calamity.
