Two dead and 226 rescued as severe flooding hits Spain’s Valencia region

Heavy rain and flooding in Spain’s Valencia region on 19–20 October left at least two people dead and prompted the rescue of 226 people from flooded areas. Regional authorities said on the morning of 20 October that one victim was a 79-year-old woman with reduced mobility in Oliva. Military rescue teams found her body at her home. A 64-year-old man also died after suffering a heart attack at a campsite in the same municipality.

The rainfall disrupted transport and daily life in a large number of municipalities. People in 145 municipalities were initially told to shelter in place; in a later update, restrictions had been lifted in most areas but remained in eight municipalities. Helicopters were used in rescue operations. Rainfall reached as much as 700 litres per square metre in some parts of the region, an upper local reading rather than an average for the entire area.

Although weather alerts were downgraded, the effects of the flooding had not ended. Authorities continued rescue and damage-assessment work and urged residents to follow official warnings and avoid closed roads. In some areas, the alert level was lowered from red to orange. That change does not mean that every flood-prone location was safe.

The toll and restrictions could change as the situation developed, so the figures of 226 rescues and two deaths represent the initial account available on Tuesday morning, 20 October. People in Valencia and nearby areas should follow current municipality-level notices; a restriction lifted in one place does not indicate conditions elsewhere.