The DANA tragedy in Valencia hit the city of Valencia particularly hard. Paiportalocated less than five kilometers from the southern access to the capital of Turia. There, more than 40 people remain missing after a fateful night and the dead number in the dozens. Five of them were elderly people from a residence where they were surprised by the waterspout while they were having dinner.
According to police sources, around 8 p.m. this Tuesday, water entered the senior center and staff were able to take almost all of them to the first floor, but five died. In fact, the mayor of the city, María Isabel Albalat Asensi, in statements to A Punt, raised above 30 the number of deaths.
Municipal sources indicate that the situation in Paiporta after the passage of DANA is “dramatic” and “humanitarian emergency“and they pointed out that there were communication and coverage problems throughout the municipality.
Likewise, they confirmed that the families are looking for “dozens of missing people” who could not be contacted, but did not specify their number. The Town Hall and the Local Police are asking the population to avoid going out and to stay at home.
Those living on the ground or lower floors have been asked to move up to the upper floors or the first and second floors of relatives or neighbors. Many ground floors in the city are flooded and members of the Military Emergency Unit (EMU) work in the municipality. It is requested to call 112 to report any incident and to use the telephone number that the Generalitat has activated to locate missing people if necessary.
So far, the Valencian Generalitat, through the Emergency Coordination Center, has estimated 70 dead that DANA leaves, in a provisional assessment. Since the end of this Tuesday, the Multiple Victims Procedure has been activated, which carries out the death toll using information received from the various security and emergency bodies and forces.
The authorities are continuing the process of investigation and identification of victims, according to the Generalitat. He Institute of Legal Medicine of Valencia activated nine forensic teams to go to the places affected by the rains in order to carry out examinations of the bodies and carry out the relevant examinations, according to the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community. The duty judges of the judicial districts concerned delegate these procedures to specialists and to the state security forces and organs, according to the TSJCV.
