Yzabelle Bostyn
OVER 60 people have died in Spain’s Valencia in some of the deadliest floods for centuries, but what about the other natural disasters?
The Biescas Disaster, 1996
On August 7 1996, 87 people died when a flash flood hit the Las Nieves campsite in Huesca.
The Biescas river overflowed, overwhelming the campsite and sweeping away anything in its path.
Tous Dam burst (Valencia), 1982
In 1982, Valencia, Alicante and Murcia were hit by a natural catastrophe when heavy rain caused the Tous Dam to burst its banks on October 20.
Over 30 people died as a result of the incident.
Valles flooding, 1962
The largest natural disaster in Spain’s history, the 1962 Valles flooding claimed the lives of between 800-1,000 people.
Over 211m3 of rain fell in just three hours on September 25, 1962, causing the flow of the Llobregat and Besos rivers to rapidly increase.
The main areas affected were Terrassa, Rubí and Sabadell.
River Turia flooding, 1957
Some 60 years have passed since flooding claimed the lives of dozens of people in the Valencia region.
The last recorded episode was in 1957, when the Turia River burst its banks, killing 81 people.
As a result of the tragedy, authorities rerouted the river to prevent future flooding.
Guadalmedina (Malaga), 1907
At the turn of the century (1907), Malaga was battered by waves of water and mud up to five metres high.
The influx led the Guadalmedina river to overflow, killing 21 people.
Murcia, 1879
Murcia yet again fell victim to tragic floods in 1879, when 179 people died.
Up to four metres of water swept into Murcia and Orihuela.
Cadiz tsunami, 1755
On the morning of All Saints Day, 1755, the effects of an earthquake originating in Lisbon arrived in Andalucia.
A huge 15 metre swept over the city of Cadiz, reportedly killing at least 2,000 people.
Areas like Conil, Jerez de la Frontera, Chiclana, Sanlucar de Barrameda y el Puerto de Santamaria were all completely destroyed.
River Tormes (Salamanca), 1626
Before the Murcia deluge, the worst floods seen in Spain occurred in 1626, when Salamanca’s River Tormes burst its banks.
Some 142 people died as rain and floods inundated the city.
