Madrid, Nov 2
Spain remains deeply shaken by the deadly flash floods that have left 205 people confirmed dead and wrecked havoc across the regions of Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia in the east and southeast parts of the country.
With the ground too dry to absorb the intense rainfall, which exceeded 400 litres per square metre in many areas and reached up to 600 litres in some, the torrential overnight downpours on Tuesday led to devastating flash floods, news agency reported.
Videos posted on social media have shown torrents up to three meters high sweeping cars down the streets to pile them up as if they were toys. Bridges were swept away, railway tunnels collapsed and fields were swamped as people climbed onto roofs of their homes and cars to seek refuge, but not all survived.
The official death toll, initially 12 on Wednesday morning according to the Center for Coordinated and Integrated Operations, has now soared to 205, with 202 fatalities in the region of Valencia, two in Castilla-La Mancha and one in Andalusia.
The Feria de Valencia exhibition centre has had to be used as a temporary mortuary. With many people still missing, the number of fatalities is expected to climb further.