Spain: At least four dead in torrential rains and floods in the East

Spain has been hit by massive flooding in the east of the country since Sunday, October 18. Heavy rains first began to fall on Catalonia a week ago. But now, a weather phenomenon known as a "cold drop" (designated by the acronym DANA in Spain) is affecting the region, with the Valencian Community as its epicenter. The provisional death toll, as of October 19, stands at four.

Published on: 19/10/2026 - 22:40

2 min Reading time

People come to the aid of a woman evacuated after rains and floods in Oliva, eastern Spain, on October 19, 2026.

People help a woman evacuated after heavy rains and flooding in Oliva, eastern Spain, on October 19, 2026. REUTERS - Eva Manez

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The images coming out of Spain are horrific, reports our correspondent in Madrid, François Musseau. The Valencian Meteorological Agency has released striking videos. For kilometers, muddy water covers fields, farms, and villages. Dozens of towns and villages are affected, most of them isolated. Many elderly people and farmers had to be airlifted to safety.

The Valencian region is at the heart of the crisis, with 145 municipalities initially placed under lockdown. With the recent slight improvement in the weather, this number has been reduced to eight municipalities and 85,000 inhabitants, primarily the towns of Oliva and Piles. In some areas of the Valencian Community, rainfall reached up to 700 liters per square meter in 24 hours (70 cm).

An updated report on Monday, October 19, indicated four deaths: one person in Sagunto, one person who fell into a stream in Catalonia, and two people in the tourist town of Oliva. "Rescue operations are continuing in areas that are difficult to access. The public is asked to avoid all travel," Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez emphasized, describing the situation in the Valencia region as "very difficult."

But the concern remains, as this "cold drop" spreads towards Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. On the island of Majorca, schools have been closed and students are required to stay home. Despite the damage and the four lives lost, authorities are relieved that the horrific scenario of the October 2024 "cold drop" in the Valencian region has not been repeated; the severe weather and flooding that claimed 232 lives. Two years later, the death toll is much lower because, this time, the telephone alert system is functioning properly.

According to scientists, climate change is intensifying the severe weather that usually hits eastern Spain in the autumn, as the sea absorbs heat during the summer, increasing evaporation and leading to increasingly heavy rainfall.