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YEREVAN, OCTOBER 30, ARMENPRESS. At least 62 people have been killed in the deadliest flooding to hit Spain for three decades after torrential rain battered the eastern region of Valencia on Tuesday, leaving roads and towns under water, Reuters reported citing local authorities.
Rescuers using dinghies worked in the dark to scour the floodwaters, rescuing several people, television pictures from the town of Utiel showed, and emergency services were still working to reach the worst-hit areas.
"For those who at this moment are still looking for their loved ones, the whole of Spain weeps with you," Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a televised address.
"To the villages and cities destroyed by this tragedy, I say the same: Together, we will rebuild your streets, your squares, your bridges," he said.
Carlos Mazon, the regional leader of Valencia, one of Spain's most important agricultural regions, said some people remained isolated in inaccessible locations.
The death toll appeared to be the worst in Europe from flooding since 2021 when at least 185 people died in Germany.
It is the worst flood-related disaster in Spain since 1996, when 87 people died near in a town in the Pyrenees mountains.
Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent in Europe due to climate change. Meteorologists think the warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in making torrential rains more severe.