Spain floods: Death toll rises 158; rescue operations underway

At least 158 people have died in devastating flash floods in eastern Spain while searches have been intensified to locate those missing.

The Spanish government has declared three days of mourning.

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In a video shared by the United Nations (UN) on its X (formerly Twitter) account, cars were seen swept away due to flooding.

“There’s a total of 158 people to which must be added dozens and dozens of missing,” Angel Victor Torres, minister in charge of cooperation with Spain's regions, said at a press conference on Thursday (October 30).

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According to a Reuters report, a year’s worth of rain fell in eight hours in parts of the Valencia region on Tuesday.

The tragedy is already Spain's worst flood-related disaster in modern history, and meteorologists say human-driven climate change is making such extreme weather events more frequent and destructive, the report added.

As per the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Spain has been hit by Isolated Depression at High Levels or DANA in Spanish.

“The phenomenon which hit Spain – known as Isolated Depression at High Levels, or DANA in Spanish – often occurs during the autumn season because the remaining warm surface heat from summer meets a sudden cold invasion aloft from the polar regions,” WMO said.

“As a result of rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has accelerated. It has also become more erratic and unpredictable, and we are facing growing problems of either too much or too little water. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture which is conducive to heavy rainfall," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo.