In the Valencian Community, a year after the devastating flood that struck the region in the autumn of 2024, authorities have identified the man whose body was found in the bed of the Turia River in Manises. DNA analysis confirmed that the remains belong to a 56-year-old resident of Pedralba, who was swept away in his car while traveling with his daughter. The girl’s body was found more than 60 kilometers from the scene of the tragedy.
The judicial authorities have already received official identification reports and autopsy results from the Valencia Institute of Legal Medicine. The man was declared dead back in March 2025, together with two other missing persons whose fate remains unknown. All three are listed among the 229 victims who died in the flood, one of the deadliest in the region’s history.
The search for the remaining missing persons continues. Among them is a 37-year-old mother of two, who disappeared in Cheste after a surge of water swept away the car being driven by her mother. The woman’s body was never found, although her mother’s remains were recovered shortly after the tragedy. Another missing person is a 64-year-old man from Montserrat, who managed to save his grandchildren by placing them on the roof of the car before he himself disappeared in the raging waters.
Search operations involved dog handlers, drones, divers, and special units of the Civil Guard. The areas were examined multiple times, sometimes up to five times, but no trace of the remaining victims was found. Despite the rescuers’ efforts, two families are still waiting for news of their loved ones, and the investigation into the mass tragedy remains under the supervision of the court in Catarroja.
