Alex Trelinski
FLOOD-affected areas of Valencia province got some much-needed pre-Christmas cheer on Sunday by winning €3 million in the El Gordo lottery.
The third prize dropped just over €2 million in Alzira, Catarroja, La Pobla de Vallbona and Requena (€500,000 in each case) and €50,000 in the village of Castellar.
A fourth prize of €420,000 was shared between Alzira (€200,000), Paiporta (€80,000), Alaquas (€40,000), Alfafar (€20,000), Ribaroja(€20,000), Sedavi (€20,000), Vilamarxant (€20,000) and Xirivella (€20,000).
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The La Estrella lottery shop is one of two in Paiporta which became known as ground-zero in the flood disaster.
One of the people who run it- Mari Carmen Gomez- said they sold a lot of tickets to soldiers and volunteers who came to help.
“People have turned out a lot, because of what they say that where there is a misfortune there must be joy, but also to help,” she said.
She added that customers asked what numbers the soldiers wanted and then they decided to follow suit.
The office, which reopened nine days after the October 29 flood, still shows the effects of the destruction, and has a Christmas tree in the window made up of four brooms and brushes and wellies.
Elsewhere, another fourth prize pot of €200,000 had a winning ticket sold at the Bonaire shopping centre in Aldaia which suffered severe flooding.
Prize money totalling €36 million was distributed across the Valencian Community.
The biggest win in the region was just over €7 million distributed in the Valencia province municipality of Chella.
The winners in this small municipality, of just 2,500 inhabitants, have been the customers of the Andrels Burger hamburger bar, who regularly plump for the same number.
They distributed about a hundred shares, as well as the users of a sports centre and some Moors and Christians troupes from all over the Canal de Navarres area.
