Nearly half of the 216 people who died in the catastrophic floods that struck Valencia at the end of October were aged 70 or older, according to a police analysis. The disaster, which claimed 224 lives across Spain, is now the country’s deadliest flood event in decades, with Valencia bearing the brunt of the devastation.
Among the victims in Valencia, 104 were aged over 70, including 15 over the age of 90. Gender-wise, the fatalities included 131 men and 85 women. The region’s ageing population was particularly vulnerable, as surging waters overwhelmed care facilities, particularly in hard-hit towns like Paiporta.
A breakdown of nationalities shows the majority of those who died in Valencia were Spaniards (190), followed by smaller numbers of foreign nationals: nine Romanians, four Moroccans, four Chinese, and two Britons. Other victims hailed from Ecuador, Venezuela, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Tunisia, Colombia, and Paraguay, regional legal authorities confirmed.
The floods, triggered by torrential rainfall, caused widespread destruction across eastern Spain, including Valencia and Alicante. The storm system dumped record-breaking amounts of rain, cutting off towns, sweeping away vehicles, and leaving care homes and communities ill-prepared for the deluge.
Although the Spanish meteorological agency Aemet deactivated all red weather warnings for Valencia and Malaga by Thursday as the storm weakened, orange-level alerts remain in effect in parts of Andalusia, Alicante, and Valencia. Areas such as Seville, Huelva, and Cadiz are still at risk, with significant rainfall of up to 30 mm forecast in some regions.
“Red warnings have been deactivated in the provinces of Malaga and Valencia,” Aemet stated, adding, “Orange warnings remain active due to very heavy rain in parts of Huelva, Cadiz, Seville, Alicante, and Valencia.”
As Valencia begins to recover, the disaster has underscored the vulnerability of ageing populations and the urgent need for improved flood prevention and emergency response measures.