At least 95 people have died after flash floods devastated Valencia, Spain

At least 95 people have been confirmed dead and dozens are missing after heavy rains and flash floods hit eastern Spain on Tuesday, around Valencia and in Albacete and Cuenca. Heavy rains swept away entire villages, left tens of thousands of people in their homes, cut off electricity for 120,000 residents and led to massive road closures.

The flood swept away people as families with children and elderly dependents struggled to survive. Attempts to call the emergency services at the number “112” were met with silence, as the connection was cut off. Chaos spread across the city as hundreds of people were trapped in cars, trucks or on rooftops.

Many of the emergency calls involved workers who were stuck at their workplaces. Despite early warning of the storm’s effects, many businesses refused to shut down, putting workers’ lives at risk. In industrial areas such as the El Oliveral Industrial Park, work continued as usual despite the danger. Major corporations, including IKEA and Mercadona, also insisted that employees go to work despite the risk of flooding.

In Payport, the chaos began around 7pm on Tuesday. “The police warned us that the ravine had overflowed. In a matter of minutes, the water rose from the ankles to the waist,” said Oscar Pozo, a local resident. eldiario.es. In a few minutes, the electricity was cut off. “They only alerted us when the water was already in the streets and the police presence was right next to the ravine,” he said, condemning the “poor management” of the emergency. “The warning came too late,” he said.

The flood left mountains of debris scattered across the affected areas. Footage from Valencia showed cars parked on the roads, while Spain’s transport minister confirmed that the damage to the rail line between Madrid and Valencia was serious and services were not expected to be restored until the next four days. The storm is now moving north across Spain, with Cádiz on red alert due to the risk of flooding.

This climate-change-induced disaster is the worst flood in Spain’s recent history, even deadlier than the Valencia flood of 1957, when torrential rains caused the Turia River to overflow, killing 80 people.

Sixty-seven years later, this tragic loss of life is not a natural but a social disaster caused by human-induced climate change. It exposes the failure of the capitalist ruling class to take any basic measures to prevent disasters, let alone enact planned, coordinated policies to stop global warming.