At least 62 people have been killed in the deadliest flooding to hit Spain for three decades after torrential rain battered the eastern region of Valencia on Tuesday, leaving roads and towns under water, local authorities said on Wednesday.

Rescuers using dinghies worked in the dark to scour the floodwaters, rescuing several people, television pictures from the town of Utiel showed and emergency services were still working to reach the worst-hit areas.

“For those who at this moment are still looking for their loved ones, the whole of Spain weeps with you,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a televised address. “To the villages and cities destroyed by this tragedy, I say the same: Together, we will rebuild your streets, your squares, your bridges,” he said.

Carlos Mazon, the regional leader of Valencia, one of Spain’s most important agricultural regions, said some people remained isolated in inaccessible locations.

“If [emergency services] have not arrived, it’s not due to a lack of means or predisposition, but a problem of access,” Mazon told a press conference, adding that reaching certain areas was “absolutely impossible”.

Dozens of videos shared on social media overnight appeared to show people trapped by the floodwaters, with some climbing into trees to avoid being swept away. Footage showed rescue workers transporting several women in a bulldozer’s bucket.

Firefighters could be seen freeing drivers whose cars were stranded in flooded streets in the town of Alzira.

Trains to the cities of Madrid and Barcelona were cancelled due to the flooding, and schools and other essential services were suspended in the worst-hit areas, officials said.

Deadliest Spanish floods since 1996

The death toll appeared to be the worst in Europe from flooding since 2021 when at least 185 people died in Germany. It is the worst flood-related disaster in Spain since 1996 when 87 people died near a town in the Pyrenees mountains.

Scientists say extreme weather events are becoming more frequent in Europe due to climate change. Meteorologists think the warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in making torrential rains more severe.

“Events of this type, which used to occur many decades apart, are now becoming more frequent and their destructive capacity is greater,” said Ernesto Rodriguez Camino, senior state meteorologist and a member of the Spanish Meteorological Association.

Emergency services in the region urged citizens to avoid all road travel and to follow further official advice, and a military unit specialised in rescue operations was deployed in some places to help local emergency workers.

Spain’s state weather agency AEMET declared a red alert on Tuesday in Valencia, a leading citrus-growing region, with some areas such as Turis and Utiel recording 200 millimetres of rainfall.

It said the rain had since stopped but said that Castellon in the north of the region would remain on orange alert until 2pm. ASAJA, one of Spain’s largest farmer groups, said on Tuesday it expected significant damage to crops.

Spain is the world’s largest exporter of fresh and dried oranges, according to trade data provider the Observatory of Economic Complexity, and Valencia accounts for about 60 per cent of the country’s citrus production, according to Valencian Institute of Agriculture Investigations.

Spain’s iconic tennis player Rafael Nadal has announced his decision to retire from the sport at the age of 38 following next month’s Davis Cup finals.

“I am retiring from professional tennis. The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two especially,” Nadal, who won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, said in a video posted on social media on Thursday.

“I am very excited that my last tournament will be the Davis Cup representing my country,” the 38-year-old, who won a record 14 French Open titles, added in the emotional message.

“It’s closing the circle because one of my first joys was the final in Sevilla in 2004.”

The Davis Cup knockout phase will be played from November 19-24.

Nadal’s 23-year career has been hampered by injuries and he missed the 2023 French Open and was beaten in the first round by German Alexander Zverev this year.

The ‘King of Clay’ won his last Roland Garros title in 2022 and left Paris on a jaw-dropping 112-4 win-loss record.

Nadal played only 23 matches in the last two seasons.

He will hang up his racket two years after his great rival Roger Federer, leaving 24-time major winner Novak Djokovic of Serbia as the only member of the ‘Big Three’ still active.

Nadal thanked his family and his team for his stellar career, with a special word for his uncle Toni, who was his coach for most of his time on court.

“I believe that thanks to him, I have also been able to overcome many situations that have been difficult in my sporting career,” he said.

To his fans, Nadal said: “I can’t thank you enough for what you have made me feel. Everything I have experienced has been a dream come true.”

“I leave with the absolute peace of mind having given my best,” he added.

CNN
 — 

Brazilian football player Dani Alves is under investigation for an alleged sexual assault that took place in Barcelona last month, the Catalonia Higher Court of Justice confirmed on Tuesday.

“Barcelona investigating magistrate’s court number 15 has opened proceedings for an alleged crime of sexual assault due to a complaint presented by a woman against a football player for events that allegedly occurred at a Barcelona nightclub this past month of December,” the court’s statement reads.

“The matter is in the investigative phase and at this time we do not have more information.”

A spokesperson for the court confirmed to CNN the allegations concern Dani Alves.

CNN reached out to Mexico’s UNAM, Alves’ current club, for comment from the team and player but did not immediately hear back. Alves denies any wrongdoing, per Reuters.

Alves is one of the most decorated football players of his generation, having won domestic titles in Spain, Italy and France. He also won three Champions League titles with Barcelona.

Alves won the Copa America with Brazil in 2007 and 2019. At 39 years old, he became Brazil’s oldest player to feature at the World Cup while appearing for the national team in Qatar when his team played Cameroon.