Spain weather: Multiple deaths as floods in Spain destroy towns amid severe storms

30 Oct 2024, 10:33 by Sarah Magliocco · RSVP Live

Spanish authorities have reported multiple casualties as the region has been hit with severe weather.

Several dead bodies have been recovered by emergency workers after torrential rain and storms.

Heavy rainfall caused flash flooding, which destroyed some buildings, took out a bridge, swept away cars, damage infrastructure such as roads and railways and caused rivers to flow down town and city streets.

The country was on high alert due to Storm Dana, with warnings of flash flooding and landslides in place.

Spanish national broadcaster RTVE reported that 13 bodies had been recovered in Valencia, citing the Civil Guard, however no clear number has been established.

Other estimates point the death toll in the wake of the storm to be around 50.

A number of people are also missing.

Cars are partly submerged in flood waters on October 29, 2024 on the western outskirts of Valencia, Spain. Spain's meteorological agency had issued its highest alert for the region due to extreme rainfall. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

“Dead bodies have been found, but out of respect for the families, we are not going to provide any further data,” Valencia leader Carlos Mazon said, according to The Guardian.

“The priority is to find these people."

The State Meteorological Agency has issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in Valencia, where flooding has already caused a bridge to collapse.

Wrecked vehicles after the passage of the DANA through the neighborhood of La Torre de Valencia, on 30 October, 2024 in Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain. The Comunitat Valenciana has registered the "most adverse" cold drop of the century in the region. The Generalitat has activated the procedure of multiple victims for "prevention of what may come", after the first balance points to 51 fatalities as a result of the storm. At this moment, there are still people waiting to be rescued and points without telephone coverage and without electricity. (Photo By Rober Solsona/Europa Press via Getty Images)

A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no one was hurt.

A mass of monster hail stones fell earlier this week, busting windows and windscreens and causing flooding in the streets thanks to the addition of heavy rain, reports RTE.

Videos posted to social media show windscreens shaking as gob-stopper sized balls of ice fell from the sky.

Irish tourists should heed local warnings and guidance, and follow the local weather reports.

A number of flights that were due to land at Valencia airport have been diverted to other cities, while others were cancelled.