Body of victim recovered a year after floods that killed more than 230 in Spain
Spanish authorities have recovered the body of a 56-year-old man who was swept away during last year’s deadly floods in the Valencia region, the country’s worst in decades. DNA tests confirmed the corpse, found Tuesday in the Turia river, belonged to one of three people reported missing since the disaster on Oct. 29, which claimed more than 230 lives. Authorities noted that the victim, like the other two missing individuals, had already been declared legally dead, so the official death toll remains unchanged.
The floodwaters carried the man’s body roughly 19 miles from Pedralba to Manises, near Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city. A state funeral is scheduled for Oct. 29 to mark the one-year anniversary of the tragedy, which prompted scrutiny over the region’s emergency alert systems and response. Activists have held monthly protests calling for the resignation of regional government head Carlos Mazon over his handling of the floods, with the next demonstration set for Saturday. Authorities maintain they lacked sufficient information to issue earlier warnings.
Satellite images captured the dramatic impact of the floods, showing Valencia submerged under muddy waters. Local volunteers, including British resident Zoe Wilkes, mobilized to help rebuild affected neighborhoods. “It was just shocking,” Wilkes said. “You couldn’t comprehend how strong the water must have been to have thrown cars around like toys.” The region faced further flooding late last month when Storm Gabrielle brought more than seven inches of rain in just six to eight hours, affecting parts of Valencia and Zaragoza. While no injuries were reported, schools, libraries, and parks were closed as a precaution.
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