Madar (International) - At least four people have died over the past two days in floods caused by torrential rain that hit eastern Spain on Monday, October 19, 2026, with the Valencia region worst affected, France 24 reported, citing AFP.
Some parts of the Valencia region recorded up to 700 litres of rain per square metre in 24 hours. Floodwaters swept away parked cars, submerged roads and cut off residents, some of whom were airlifted to safety. Government representative Pilar Bernabe said security forces had carried out more than 400 rescues by air and land.
Regional president Juan Francisco Perez Llorca said there had been three deaths in the region: a 79-year-old woman found in her home and a man who suffered a fatal heart attack at a campsite in the coastal resort of Oliva, as well as a man who drowned while swimming at a beach in Sagunto on Sunday. In Catalonia, firefighters said a woman died after falling into a rain-swollen stream.
Authorities ordered residents of about 100 municipalities to stay indoors for several hours, with most restrictions lifted by early afternoon. The rain also lashed the Balearic Islands. Spain's military emergency unit is helping with rescues and evacuations, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on X that the government was giving its "full support".
Scientists say climate change is intensifying the Mediterranean storms that typically hit eastern Spain in autumn, and the national weather agency AEMET said on Friday that September was mainland Spain's hottest on record. The scenes recall the October 2024 floods in the Valencia region.
