Three days of mourning declared in Spain as torrential rains claim at least 72 lives

As many as 72 people have died in Spain after torrential rains triggered widespread floods eastern Valencia region, rescuers said on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, heavy rain and fierce winds lashed out in the southern and eastern parts of Spain sparking floods in Valencia and the southern Andalusia region.

The country has announced that it will observe three days of mourning. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez spoke with King Felipe VI on Wednesday and informed him of the official days of mourning, Angel Victor Torres, minister for territorial policy and democratic memory, told a news conference.

The downpours have thrown normal life out of gear in the country with many left without power or cellphone services. Many places were cut off by flooded roads and several 100 people are feared trapped.

Cars lay scattered and piled on top of each other on roads near the Mediterranean coastal city of Valencia after a mudslide, an AFP journalist saw.

‘Won’t abandon you’

Sanchez has told victims of devastating flooding in Spain that the government “would not abandon” them as a provisional toll soared to 51 dead.

“All of Spain weeps with all of you. Our absolute priority is to help you… We won’t abandon you,” Sanchez said in a televised address.

EU ‘ready to help’

The European Union, meanwhile, has offered its help to the country.

“What we are seeing is devastating,” von der Leyen told a news conference. “We have activated our Copernicus satellite system to help coordinate the rescue teams, and we have already offered to activate our civil protection mechanism.”

Valencia worst hit

The central government’s representative in the Valencia region, Pilar Bernabe, said emergency military response units were being sent from several regions to reinforce the rescue work.

Defence Minister Margarita Robles told reporters “more than a thousand troops” backed by helicopters were being deployed in the face of “an unprecedented phenomenon”.

Emergency services in the Valencia region rescued almost 200 people overnight who were being sheltered in fire stations, Basset added.

Footage showed torrents of water gushing through streets Tuesday washing away cars, while rail and air transport was severely disrupted.

With inputs from AFP