ALBAWABA - Emergency personnel have retrieved several dead bodies after torrential rain triggered flash floods in various parts of Spain, closing highways and high-speed rail links.
UPDATE
After flash floods crippled train service in wide parts of eastern and southern Spain and swept vehicles through village streets, Spanish officials announced that at least 51 people had died. The death toll is likely to rise as search and rescue efforts continue.
On Tuesday, raging muddy flood waters raced through the town of Letur in the eastern province of Albacete, driving automobiles through the streets, according to photos carried on Spanish television.
Carlos Mazon, the chairman of the eastern Valencia region, told reporters early on Wednesday that numerous dead bodies had been discovered in flood-affected districts, but did not say how many.
Emergency personnel, aided by drones, were searching for six individuals who went missing after flash floods hit the town, according to the central government's representative in Castilla-La Mancha. "The priority is to find these people," she said.
"I am closely following with concern the reports on missing persons and the damage caused by the storm in recent hours," Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez wrote in a post on X, encouraging people to adhere to authorities' recommendations, and not follow misleading news.
According to Spanish airport operator Aena, twelve flights that were scheduled to land at Valencia airport have been rerouted to other Spanish airports due to the intense rain and wind. Ten more flights were canceled that were scheduled to take off or land at the airport.
Due to the storm's impact on key rail network locations in the Valencia region, national rail infrastructure operator ADIF said that it has halted high-speed trains between Madrid and the eastern port of Valencia.
According to a statement from the regional administration, a high-speed train carrying 276 people derailed in southern Andalusia, but no injuries were reported.
