Spain Floods: UAE urges citizens to exercise caution as death toll rises
Rescue efforts are ongoing as heavy rain continues to affect other parts of the country
Dubai: The UAE Mission in Madrid has urged Emirati citizens in Spain to exercise caution amid severe weather affecting multiple regions.
Citizens are advised to follow local safety instructions and contact the UAE embassy in case of emergency.
Since the storm began on Tuesday, it has claimed at least 158 lives, with 155 fatalities reported in the hardest-hit Valencia region, according to Spanish Minister for Territorial Policy Ángel Víctor Torres. Dozens of people remain missing.
In an emergency, UAE citizens can reach authorities at 0097180024 or 0097180044444. The consulate also encourages UAE nationals to register with the "Twajudi" service for consular support.
Rescue operations are now in their third day, as teams work to assist those trapped by the deadly storms in eastern Spain, where rainfall continues to spread across the country.
The storms represent one of the worst natural disasters in living memory in Spain. Entire towns in the coastal region of Valencia were inaccessible for more than a day, with people sheltering on roofs and in cars. Many are still without running water and electricity.
Emergency services backed by drones and more than 1,200 troops combed mud-caked towns and villages to find survivors and clear roads of debris.
Firefighters in the Valencia region released a video of rescue workers airlifting a one-year-old boy to safety from his flooded village.
Abandoned vehicles lay piled on top of each other like dominoes and some residents grabbed planks of wood to plough through layers of thick, sticky mud, AFP journalists saw in the Valencia region.
Hundreds of people are being sheltered in temporary accommodation while road and rail transport have been severely disrupted.
It could take up to three weeks to reopen the high-speed line between Madrid and Valencia, Transport Minister Oscar Puente wrote on X.