On the evening of October 29, 2024, a disaster struck Spain’s Valencia province, shaking the entire country. A torrential downpour hit the region, causing river and stream levels to rise rapidly. Within hours, dozens of towns and villages were cut off, and hundreds of residents found themselves trapped by the floodwaters.
In Chiva, a small town near Valencia, the Mora family was caught at the heart of the disaster. Water quickly flooded their home, and calls to emergency services went unanswered. There were still several hours left before authorities issued a mass emergency alert. By then, many people were already unable to escape on their own. Only the mother survived; the rest of the family perished before help could arrive.
As the floodwaters spread, tragic reports came in from across the region. The situation was especially dire in the Barranco del Poyo area, where the water overflowed and submerged entire neighborhoods. People tried to save themselves on rooftops, in cars, or in the arms of their loved ones. However, the water rose so quickly that many had no chance of survival.
By the time residents received the official government alert on their mobile phones, the death toll had already surpassed one hundred. Dozens more were in critical condition. Relatives of the victims and survivors are still questioning whether such a large-scale tragedy could have been prevented if the warning had come earlier.
Regional authorities and emergency services faced an unprecedented challenge. Amid chaos and destroyed roads, it was impossible to reach many victims in time. For several days after the disaster, the search for the missing continued, and the list of the dead kept growing.
This tragedy became the deadliest in Spain in recent decades. It exposed vulnerabilities in infrastructure and significant flaws in the public alert system. The families of those who died are demanding answers and a revision of emergency response protocols to ensure this never happens again.
