At least 51 people have died in floods in the Spanish province of Valencia, the Spanish news agency EFE reported, citing local authorities.
Hours earlier, the prime minister of the autonomous region of the same name, Carlos Masson, told journalists that bodies had been found, but did not specify how many there were “out of respect for the families” of the victims, Reuters points out.
Emergency services have found several bodies in the Valencia region of eastern Spain, where heavy rains have caused flooding, reports AFP.
„We can confirm that some bodies have already been found,” Masson told reporters, adding that authorities could not give more details until the families were informed. “We are facing an unprecedented situation, the likes of which no one has seen before,” added the regional prime minister.
Local authorities said yesterday that seven people were missing, including one in L'Alcudia, Valencia region, and six in Letur, in the neighboring region of Castilla-La Mancha, where flash flooding flooded roads, washed away cars and flooded buildings , show footage broadcast by Spanish TV channels.
Emergency services, assisted by drones, are working throughout the night to search for the missing in Letur, the representative of the central government for Castilla-La Mancha Milagros Tolon told the public television channel Te Ve E.
„The priority is to find the missing people”, she added.
Police in the city of L'Alcudia announced that they are looking for a truck driver who has been missing since yesterday afternoon.
Heavy rain, the result of a cold front moving over southern and eastern Spain, caused flooding on roads and towns yesterday, forcing authorities in the worst-hit areas to advise people to stay at home and avoid non-essential travel , Reuters points out.