Search and rescue efforts continued in Spain after devastating storm

Search and rescue efforts continued in Spain on Thursday after an unprecedented storm killed at least 158 people and caused widespread destruction, El.kz cites Anadolu.

At least 155 people lost their lives in Valencia, the hardest-hit region, according to the region's government. But deaths have also been reported in the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, and Malaga.

Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said authorities still could not offer a precise number, but that “many people” remained missing.

Around 1,000 soldiers were deployed on Thursday, and their main priority is finding the missing.

“We know that in places like Paiporta and Massanassa, there might be people in garages, in basements -- people who went out to find their vehicles,” Robles said in an interview with broadcaster Telecinco.

The worst of the storm hit Tuesday, when nearly a year’s worth of rain fell in a matter of hours, causing flash floods, river overflows, and streets in towns and cities to turn into powerful rivers.

The storm’s intensity caught thousands off guard. Residents, many returning from work, were rapidly trapped in vehicles. Others became stranded in their homes, workplaces, restaurants, or shopping centers, desperately awaiting rescue as the waters rose.

The government of Valencia sent an emergency alert to phones late Tuesday evening, asking people to stay indoors or seek high ground, when much of the damage had already been done.

“The alarm sounded when the water was past my waist,“ Joan San Saloni, a resident in the town of Paiporta, told Spanish broadcaster RTVE. “If it would have gone off earlier, saying don’t leave home, people wouldn’t have gone to get their cars… if we would have known, there wouldn’t have been so many deaths.”

Emergency services were quickly overwhelmed by the volume of calls, unable to reach the hardest-hit areas. Saloni described how he was calling for hours to no avail as he heard people crying for help in the town.

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