Spain reeling from deadly floods that killed over 200 people

Unexpected flash floods overwhelmed residents of eastern Spain on late Tuesday and early Wednesday last week, with more than 217 bodies having been recovered so far, the majority from the eastern Valencia region. As Spain staggers from the recent natural disaster, scientists point to climate change as the culprit — and locals vent their frustration at government authorities.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, King Felipe, Queen Letizia and regional president Carlos Mazón were pelted with mud by angry crowds while visiting the hard-hit Valencian town of Paiporta on Sunday. During this time, thousands of soldiers are working alongside hundreds of civil and military emergency workers to rescue as many people as possible.

Sánchez, who had two of bodyguards injured during the public outcry, said that the government’s priority is “saving lives, finding the bodies of the people who have died, and rebuilding the affected areas.”

He added, “The violence carried out by a few people won’t deflect the collective interest. It’s time to look ahead and to keep on working with all the means and coordination needed to get through this emergency together.”

The unexpected flash floods originated from the Magro and Turia river basins and the Poyo riverbed, which suddenly swelled with water that overwhelmed nearby populations. Although residents assert that poor infrastructure and low-quality government responses caused unnecessary casualties, a climatologist and co-founder of World Weather Attribution Frederike Otto says that climate change is also a major culprit.

“A quick analysis following the floods in Spain found that the climate emergency made the extreme rainfall about 12% more intense and twice as likely,” Otto wrote in a commentary for The Guardian. “Despite this, in Paiporta, where at least 62 people have died, the mayor said floods were not common and ‘people are not afraid.’ But the changing climate is making once-rare events more common.”