Valencia, Spain
CNN
—
The photos are happy occasions. A dad with two kids on holiday. Family pets with tails wagging. Teen daughters posing for selfies.
This is a gallery of the missing. DANA Desaparecidos is a social media effort to find those still unaccounted for in the devastating flash floods that swept through eastern Spain. At least 217 people are confirmed dead and the toll may climb higher.
In one miraculous rescue, a woman was found alive on Saturday after being trapped in her car for three days. Hopes are fading for those that remain missing, however.
At least 89 people are unaccounted for, the high court of the Valencia region said Tuesday, marking the first time officials have released data on the missing. Those numbers only include cases where families have provided information or biological samples to identify their relatives.
“There are still missing people to find, homes and businesses destroyed, buried under mud, and many people suffering from severe shortages,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, pledging 10.6 billion euros to help victims.
Social media accounts such as DANA Desaparecidos have received dozens of reports of distressed families searching for their loved ones. Many communities have been cut off from communication for days.
The government hotline to report missing persons from the floods has been completely overwhelmed. Instead, their families and friends have turned to social media to get the word out.
On DANA Desparecidos, each photo has a description of one of those currently unaccounted for and details of their last known location. Others post photos of missing pets, their owners desperate to find animal companions.
One photo shows a woman linking arms with a friend, with a caption that reads: “Her name is Mila. She left yesterday at 1900 from Picanya to get to her home in Silla. She never arrived.”
Alberto Saiz/AP
A firefighter looks at flood damage in a shopping center on the outskirts of Valencia on Monday, November 4.
Manu Fernandez/AP
A man wipes mud off his face in Catarroja on Monday.
Aldara Zarraoa/Getty Images
A tow truck collects destroyed cars in Paiporta on Monday.
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
People clear mud from a street in Valencia on Monday.
Bruna Casas/Reuters
An aerial image shows damage to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo on Monday after the Valencia Grand Prix was canceled.
Manu Fernandez/AP
Emergency workers remove damaged cars in Catarroja on Sunday.
Nacho Doce/Reuters
A woman embraces a member of the Emergency Military Unit in Sedavi on Sunday.
Nacho Doce/Reuters
Volunteers arrange donations at a gymnasium in Sedavi on Sunday.
Eva Manez/Reuters
Security shields Spain's King Felipe as
angry residents boo and throw mud during a visit to flood-affected Paiporta on Sunday. The king, along with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and regional governor Carlos Mazon, faced chants of “murderers” as locals accused authorities of a lax response to the disaster.
Susana Vera/Reuters
People load belongings on a truck in Sedavi on Sunday.
Susana Vera/Reuters
Members of the Spanish military clean a mud-covered street in Massanassa on Sunday.
Manaure Quintero/AFP/Getty Images
Heavy machinery is used to carry out repairs on the flood-damaged railway tracks in Sedavi on Sunday.
Hugo Torres/AP
Volunteers in Paiporta carry buckets of mud on Sunday.
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez/Getty Images
Emergency Military Unit members search for a missing person in a parking garage in Picanya on Saturday.
Manaure Quintero/AFP/Getty Images
People walk past a damaged hardware store in Benetusser on Saturday.
Manu Fernandez/AP
A car sticks out of a garage in Valencia on Saturday.
Manu Fernandez/AP
People clean a street in Valencia on Saturday.
Susana Vera/Reuters
A firefighter checks inside a vehicle at a flooded garage in Alfafar on Saturday.
Angel Garcia/AP
Volunteers and residents clean a street in Paiporta on Saturday.
Bruna Casas/Reuters
Belongings are seen inside damaged buildings in Chiva on Saturday.
Susana Vera/Reuters
A shoe lies inside a damaged car in Alfafar on Saturday.
Susana Vera/Reuters
Firefighters search for victims in Alfafar on Saturday.
Eva Manez/Reuters
A man cleans mud from inside a home for elderly people in Sedavi on Saturday.
Angel Garcia/AP
Vehicles remain piled up in the streets of Alfafar on Saturday.
Alberto Saiz/AP
A woman — one of thousands of people who showed up to volunteer — waits to be assigned work to help with the clean up operation in Valencia on Saturday.
Biel Alino/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Emergency Military Unit members help clean up in Paiporta on Friday.
David Ramos/Getty Images
Firefighters conduct search-and-rescue efforts as cars and debris block a tunnel in Benetússer on Friday.
Manu Fernandez/AP
People remove mud from a house in Sedavi on Friday.
Manu Fernandez/AP
Destruction from the flooding is seen in Chiva on Friday.
Nacho Doce/Reuters
People help clean up in Paiporta on Friday.
Ana Escobar/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Hundreds of volunteers walk toward the town of La Torre to help people affected by the floods on Friday.
Susana Vera/Reuters
Firefighters search for possible victims inside a car that was stranded in a tunnel in Alfafar on Friday.
Alberto Saiz/AP
A woman rests as residents and volunteers clean up in Paiporta on Friday.
Alberto Saiz/AP
A man walks around a cemetery on the outskirts of Valencia on Friday.
Manu Fernandez/AP
People clear debris from a shop in Chiva on Friday.
Alberto Saiz/AP
Aid donations are organized in La Torre on Friday.
Ismael Herrero/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A member of the Emergency Military Unit searches for victims in Letur on Friday.
Alberto Saiz/AP
People try to clear mud from a street in Paiporta on Friday.
Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies
This satellite image shows the devastation in Paiporta on Thursday.
Manu Fernandez/AP
People pick up goods in a Valencia supermarket on Thursday.
Alberto Saiz/AP
Authorities carry a body into a van in Valencia on Thursday.
Manu Fernandez/AP
A man stands among damaged vehicles in Valencia on Thursday.
Nacho Doce/Reuters
This aerial photo, taken on Thursday, shows destroyed rice fields near Valencia.
Jose Jordan/AFP/Getty Images
People scoop mud out of a house in La Torre on Thursday.
Manu Fernandez/AP
A man walks on a mud-covered road in Valencia on Thursday.
Susana Vera/Reuters
A wedding portrait of Blanca Ruiz and Carlos Calmaestra is seen undamaged right above the water marks at their home in Godelleta on Thursday.
Oscar Del Pozo/AFP/Getty Images
Emergency services workers survey a devastated street in Letur on Wednesday.
Susana Vera/Reuters
Eva Defez's friend hugs her outside her home in Utiel on Wednesday.
A man dumps floodwater out of his house in Utiel on Wednesday.
David Ramos/Getty Images
Cars are seen piled in the street in the Sedaví area of Valencia on Wednesday.
Susana Vera/Reuters
A couple holds hands outside their home in Utiel on Wednesday.
David Ramos/Getty Images
A woman walks along train tracks covered by debris in Valencia.
Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images
Emergency workers carry an injured person to safety in Letur on Wednesday.
Eva Manez/Reuters
A woman carries chairs caked in mud in L'Alcúdia.
Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images
A man carries a dog to safety in Letur.
Alberto Saiz/AP
A man walks through a flooded street in Valencia on Wednesday.
Víctor Fernández/Europa Press/Abaca/Sipa/AP
Rescue workers look at a helicopter flying overhead in Letur on Tuesday.
Alba Lozano Asencio created the account with her boyfriend Luciano Esguerra. So far, about 30 people have been located and a number of pets, according to the DANA Desaparcideo organizers. Posts labeled “Localizado” – or “located” – are published to let users know when someone has been found, often simply cut off from communication. Now they are also getting requests for help with flood clean up.
“People feel helpless and the emergency services are overwhelmed,” Asencio told CNN. “I think an important part of the page is that it gives some kind of hope to people at this time.”
The slow and uncoordinated response to the crisis has angered and frustrated many here in Valencia.
Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia were berated by angry residents in a visit on Sunday to the hard hit area of Paiporta. Letizia, in particular, seemed shaken by the shouts of “murderers” as mud was flung at the royal couple. Prime Minister Sanchez was also there but was quickly whisked away by security.
The Spanish government announced Monday it was deploying 2,500 more troops to the eastern region, in response to the fury from residents.
By Monday night, the military expects to have some 7,800 troops present in the area, according to Spain’s Military Emergencies Unit chief Francisco Javier Marcos. That’s on top of the 5,223 Civil Guard personnel and 4,256 National Police officers that have already been mobilized.
Security forces have been searching for victims in ravines and underground garages, including a large parking lot at the Bonaire shopping center in Aldaia.
The military has also deployed a warship to Valencia, bringing helicopters, watercraft, trucks, food and emergency supplies.
Bruna Casas/Reuters
Search and rescue team members look for bodies following flooding in Chiva, Spain, on November 2.
Meanwhile, thousands of volunteers also continue to make their way into affected areas, many of them hiking long distances through mud to help their neighbors.
Pedro de Juan, 18, had seen scenes like this only in the movies but he showed up with a broom and bucket to help.
“It’s amazing how the government says it’s not our fault. It’s someone else’s fault. But at this time we have to put our hands together and help each other,” he told CNN. “The military and police are helping but not as much as we hoped and they are days late.”
“Frustrating is the word,” said Francisco Bosque, another volunteer who is hoping to help friends in flooded areas. “You feel completely powerless. All you can do is come here and show up.”
The weather system that triggered the floods is still impacting the area and some volunteer buses were turned back as a precaution.
Spain’s AEMET service issued a red alert for the Barcelona area due to heavy rain through Monday afternoon, but the alert has since passed. Barcelona City Council also issued a flood warning on its website, urging people to take care and avoid areas where flooding may occur.
Airport operator AENA said 70 flights from Barcelona’s El Prat Airport had been canceled or severely delayed, while 18 others had been diverted due to the storm. The weather was also affecting train and metro services accessing the airport, the operator said.
Video on social media showed one of the airport buildings partially submerged due to the heavy downpour, with water streaming through parts of the roof and some passengers wading through ankle-deep water.
AEMET also issued a new yellow and orange alert for the areas of Castellon, Valencia and Alicante, warning that sudden, heavy rains could cause more flooding in already-devastated areas.