In October 2024, the Valencian Community found itself at the center of one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent years. The flood, triggered by a powerful DANA, claimed 229 lives and left behind chaos and many unanswered questions. However, almost a year after the tragedy, it emerged that not all video footage taken at the height of the disaster was submitted to the court.
At the center of the scandal are representatives of the regional government who, as it turned out, recorded more videos of those events than were handed over to investigators. Particular attention was drawn to a video published on Instagram by former head of the Department of Justice and Home Affairs, Salome Pradas. In this short clip, filmed at the L’Eliana coordination center, moments of the work of emergency services and 112 call center staff are captured—the latter fielded a record number of calls that day.
The judge leading the investigation requested all available video materials from the authorities; however, it turned out that some recordings had remained concealed for eleven months. According to investigators, these recordings could have shed light on the actions of key figures during the most critical hours of the disaster. In the videos not included in the case files, one can see discussions between service heads and information about numerous incidents occurring in the region displayed on the center’s screens.
Footage taken after the declaration of a hydrological alert on the Magro River and in the Barranco del Pollo area, where flooding began and led to the inundation of the towns of Catarroja and Paiporta, is of particular importance. These videos capture not only the work of the emergency operations center, but also the unfolding of the crisis, providing crucial material for objectively assessing the authorities’ response.
The concealed details sparked outrage among residents and the relatives of the victims. The public is demanding transparency and a full disclosure of all the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Investigators are still trying to determine why some of the footage was withheld and who decided not to submit it to the court. Questions remain for the regional government, and the investigation is expected to take new turns.
