Remedios Mazzolari, vice president of the Valencia Provincial Council, rejects claims she was alerted to the barranco del Poyo crisis before the deadly flood. Conflicting accounts raise new questions about official response.
Sharp contradictions have surfaced in the investigation into the catastrophic dana that struck Valencia on October 29, 2024, leaving 230 dead. Remedios Mazzolari, vice president of the Diputación de Valencia and a member of the Partido Popular (PP), told a judge in Catarroja that she was never informed of the escalating emergency at the barranco del Poyo on the afternoon of the disaster. This directly challenges the account given by Amparo Fort, the PP mayor of Chiva, who previously stated she had warned Mazzolari about the situation as it unfolded.
During her testimony, Mazzolari insisted she had no communication with Fort on the day of the flood. She stated unequivocally that there were no calls exchanged, countering Fort’s earlier claim that a phone conversation took place at 15:30, during which the mayor allegedly described the critical state of the rambla and discussed the deployment of the Unidad Militar de Emergencias (UME) to Utiel. Mazzolari suggested any confusion was likely a mistake, emphasizing she neither called nor received calls from Fort that day.
However, Fort maintains she not only called but also sent an audio message to Mazzolari at 19:47, after the barranco del Poyo had overflowed, describing the situation as disastrous. According to sources present at the hearing cited by EL PAÍS, Fort’s testimony directly undermines the PP’s longstanding narrative that authorities were left in the dark about the scale of the disaster until late in the day. This narrative has been central to the party’s defense, arguing that the Generalitat under Carlos Mazón was unaware of the flood’s magnitude and therefore delayed activating the Es Alert mass notification system until 20:11.
Fort further testified that by 17:00 on October 29, she had already informed the Diputación de Valencia, led by Vicente Mompó (PP), about the extreme conditions in Chiva, where the barranco del Poyo originates. The overflow from this rambla triggered severe flooding in towns like Paiporta and Catarroja, resulting in 55 and 25 deaths respectively. Fort described widespread flooding in Chiva, with water levels toppling barriers along the barranco.
The conflicting statements from two PP officials have intensified scrutiny of the official response and communication failures during the disaster. The case echoes broader concerns about political accountability in Spain, as seen in other recent controversies involving government actions and crisis management. For example, debates over political responsibility and emergency response have also arisen in cases such as the state bailout for Tubos Reunidos, where political influence played a decisive role in key decisions.
Spain’s dana events—sudden, intense storms causing flash floods—have repeatedly exposed vulnerabilities in emergency coordination and communication between local and regional authorities. The 2024 tragedy in Valencia stands as one of the deadliest in recent memory, prompting ongoing judicial investigations and calls for clearer protocols. The outcome of the current inquiry may have lasting implications for how Spanish institutions handle future natural disasters and public warnings.
