### Spain's Worst Flooding Disaster in Decades Claims 158 Lives

In what is being described as Spain's most severe flooding disaster in generations, at least 158 people have lost their lives. The tragedy unfolded as rescuers faced tough conditions in their search for survivors, employing over 1,200 workers and drones amidst the relentless rains threatening various regions of the country.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasized the critical importance of saving lives while visiting the affected communities, stating, "Right now the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible." In the hardest-hit areas, such as Valencia, where Tuesday night's floods were most devastating, residents found themselves retrieving bodies from the mud and wreckage.

Valencia recorded the highest casualties with at least 155 deaths. Additionally, two fatalities were reported in Castilla-La Mancha and one British national was confirmed dead in Andalusia. Notably, in the town of Paiporta, where a river overflowed, at least 40 lives were lost.

Local residents express the deep impact of the disaster, with pharmacist Miguel Guerrilla from Paiporta remarking, "We all know someone who has died," as he stood outside his mud-covered chemist shop. The scene on Thursday was grim, with undertakers and funeral vans retrieving bodies from the streets, and cars, swept by the storm surge, stacked atop one another on nearby roads.

Survivors recounted the terrifying experience of being trapped as the floodwaters turned highways and streets into rivers. Many escaped by climbing trees or bridges. Although officials have not provided an exact number of missing persons, they acknowledged that "many" remain unaccounted for, as the death toll surged by roughly 60 on Thursday.

The Spanish meteorological agency Aemet reported that in Chiva near Valencia, the town experienced a year's worth of rainfall in just eight hours. This prompted further rain warnings for southern and eastern Spain, with King Felipe VI and PM Sánchez urging citizens to remain in safe locations as the emergency situation persisted.

In response to the catastrophe, Spain commenced a three-day national mourning period on Thursday, with flags at half-mast on government buildings and moments of silence observed across the country. Public outrage is growing regarding the perceived delay in flood warnings, with questions about whether disaster management services were too slow to alert communities. The civil protection agency did not issue an alert until 20:15 on Tuesday evening, by which time several areas in Valencia were already severely flooded.

Experts attribute the unusual downpours to a "gota fria," a natural autumn and winter occurrence in Spain when cold air meets warmer Mediterranean waters. However, climate change is believed to have intensified these rains, as a warming atmosphere increases the likelihood of extreme rainfall. Dr. Friederike Otto from Imperial College London confirmed, "No doubt about it, these explosive downpours were intensified by climate change."

The current death toll from this disaster surpasses that of the 1973 flooding in southeastern Spain, which claimed at least 150 lives, making it the deadliest flooding event in Spain in the past several decades.