A British man, aged 71, tragically lost his life after being rescued from the devastating floods in Spain, according to a local official.
Mud coloured water swept through areas from Malaga down to Valencia’s east coast yesterday, whilst emergency service teams took rubber dinghy boats to rescue people around the wreckage. A raft of terrifying images and videos are being shared on social media showing cars being swept away by the flood following torrential rain on Tuesday.
The flash floods have claimed at least 95 lives, making it the worst natural disaster the country has seen in recent times. Cars were swept away, village streets turned into rivers, and rail lines and major roads were disrupted.
The unnamed British man passed away in hospital due to hypothermia and cardiac arrests just hours after he was saved from his residence on the outskirts of Alhaurin de la Torre, Malaga, as reported by Juanma Moreno, the president of the Andalusian government, on Wednesday.
Moreno expressed his condolences to the Briton’s family in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Valencia’s emergency services confirmed a death toll of 62 people on Wednesday. Additionally, the central government office for the Castilla La Mancha region reported the death of an 88 year old woman in the city of Cuenca.
Tuesday’s rainstorms caused widespread flooding across southern and eastern Spain, from Malaga to Valencia. The floods sent vehicles hurtling down streets in torrents of mud-coloured water, carrying debris including pieces of wood and household items.
Rescue services and police used helicopters and rubber boats to evacuate people from their homes and rescue drivers stranded on car roofs. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that dozens of towns had been flooded.
“For those who are looking for their loved ones, all of Spain feels your pain,” Mr Sanchez expressed during a televised address. “Our priority is to help you. We are putting all the resources necessary so that we can recover from this tragedy.”