Laurence Dollimore
THE Valencia DANA floods are officially the worst natural disaster of the century after killing at least 51 people.
Large parts of the region appeared like a war zone this morning after devastating currents destroyed hundreds of cars and homes.
Streets are littered with trees, furniture and other debris following the worst of the storm on Tuesday.
The rain is continuing to fall today as rescue operations continue across the region.
Video footage shared online showed a woman and her pet dog being dramatically pulled from the flood water to a helicopter.
It comes as Valencia airport continues to be dealing with flooding, with many flights delayed, diverted or cancelled.
President of the Valencia region Carlos Mazon said it was ‘impossible’ to put an exact number on the final death toll at this stage.
Among the more feared to be missing are two Guardia Civil officers and one of their girlfriends, who have not been seen since their barracks in Paiporta flooded.
Video footage shows floodwaters causing chaos, knocking down bridges and dragging cars through the streets.
Other video appeared to show people clinging to trees to avoid being swept away.
State weather forecaster Aemet reported that Chiva saw 491mm of rain in just eight hours on Tuesday – the equivalent of a year’s worth of rain.
Radio and TV stations have been receiving hundreds of calls for help from people trapped in flooded areas, with some spots still difficult to reach.
Emergency services workers are using drones to search for the missing in the badly affected municipality of Letur, local official Milagros Tolon told broadcaster TVE.
“The priority is to find these people,” she said.
Utiel, Carlet, and Requena have also been seriously hit with officials confirming fatalities but unable to give figures and details.
Utiel has been without electricity or mobile phone coverage since 11pm on Tuesday.
Dozens of people spent the night stranded in trucks or cars, as well as on rooftops and bridges, waiting to be rescued.
The floods have caused disruption with several flights due to land at Valencia Airport diverted to other cities and others cancelled.
Airport operator Aena said there were 49 cancellations and 30 diverted services on Tuesday.
