During the trial over the large-scale flooding in the province of Valencia, new details have emerged about the actions taken by regional and central authorities during the critical hours of the tragedy. Inmaculada Piles, head of the 112 emergency response service under the Generalitat Valenciana, gave testimony shedding light on the chain of decisions made on the day of the disaster.
According to Piles, she received the first official request to send out a mass Es Alert warning from a representative of the central government at 18:35. By this time, the situation in the region was already critical: torrential water flows had breached the banks near Barranco del Poyo, and a surge inundated several towns, including Paiporta and Catarroja. It was in these areas that the worst consequences were recorded — dozens dead and hundreds injured.
Despite the urgency, the danger warning was only sent at 20:11. By then, most of those reported missing were no longer showing signs of life. Piles explained the delay by saying that coordinating the alert message’s text and passing information between departments took longer than expected. The discussion involved both regional emergency management staff and representatives of central authorities.
On that same day, in the morning, the Valencia administration was already aware of the scale of the disaster. At 12:05, staff from the office of the autonomous region’s president were inquiring about how to access the hardest-hit areas. This indicates that the authorities knew the seriousness of the situation long before the official state of alert was declared.
Authorities’ Response and Course of Events
Despite the incoming reports of the catastrophe, regional leader Carlos Mazón maintained his usual schedule. He continued to attend public events and meetings and even had lunch as usual until the evening. Meanwhile, emergency services were already reporting critical water levels in rivers and streams, and meteorologists had declared a red alert as early as 7:36 a.m.
Within the government, discussions about the disaster’s consequences began at the morning meeting, where possible response measures were considered. However, the investigation revealed that coordination between different levels of government was not fast enough. As a result, mass notification of residents was sent out with a significant delay.
Aftermath and New Questions
The tragedy claimed the lives of 229 people in just one province. This raises questions about why, despite having information about the impending threat, all possible tools to warn the public were not used. The investigation is ongoing to determine who made the key decisions and why coordination took so long.
The testimony of the head of the 112 emergency service has become a key part of the investigation. It sheds light on how events unfolded during those critical hours and why such a large-scale loss of life could not be prevented. The court proceedings are ongoing, and the public is awaiting answers to the most pressing questions.
