The death of a woman in Letur due to the storm has been confirmed. He was one of six people missing, although the mayor, Sergio Marín, did not rule out that there were others. The missing are two municipal employees, a young couple (around 30 to 40 years old) and two elderly people. The president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, present on site, declared that the prognosis “is very negative”, although “hope” must always be maintained.
One of the neighbors we don’t know about is Jonathan, whose sister, Miriam, explained on Spanish television that “They were both at home together, the power came suddenly and took everything away”. Miriam also clarified that the house where Jonathan was with his wife is located on the slope where the stream overflowed, destroying everything. This couple has two young children, but luckily they were in school. “They are fine, let’s hope their parents are fine,” Miriam added.
In Letur, a town of around 900 inhabitants located in the Segura mountains in Albacete, some residents are deprived of water and other basic services. Page explained that he was “save 19 people» which were located and safe, but which were not yet accessible.
“The severity of the Letur phenomenon is that of a first flood and, during the works, a second arrived, perhaps even larger. Let’s say, popularly, that it was raining. The consequences are not yet determined, but we will remain hopeful,” he told the media, thanking “the impressive number of exceptional services”, which in the case of Letur represents more than 150 soldiers.
Besides Page, Paco Núñez, president of the regional PP, also visited the municipality of Albacete. And Isabel Rodríguez, Minister of Housing and Urban Agenda, and Alberto Núñez Feijoó, national leader of the PP, are expected to do so this afternoon.
The president of Castilla-La Mancha, Emiliano García-Page, in Letur
On the other hand, around thirty neighbors spent the night in a shelter set up at the school by the Red Cross. Carmina is one of those affected who has not been able to sleep at home. “The people who couldn’t find their families were in one room, receiving psychological treatment, and the rest of us were spread out among the rooms. Thank you, thank you so much, to everyone who came with food and clothes. People came, whether from here, from Férez, from Hellín, from Albacete… it was terrible,” he commented on Spanish television.
“I saw how people asked for help, for help and the helplessness of our gaze and it was impossible to do anything: look for a rope, get closer, make a human chain… it was impossible. And the helplessness of seeing people asking for help and you can’t get close to them. “My house is full of mud,” he said of the tragedy that occurred on Tuesday.
Finally, he wanted to “send a message: from zero to a thousand is nothing. This is what happened here in Letur. It was raining, it started to rain a little harder and in a minute and a half everything collapsed. He didn’t have time. Sometimes we see images of other places and wonder: how were they not evacuated before? It’s just that there is no time. This city was a mousetrap for these six people…”
The city council asks to avoid unnecessary trips in the city
On the other hand, in a statement, the Letur City Hall asked to avoid unnecessary movements of people to the municipality to avoid crowds, ensuring that the health center has medical and nursing equipment.
The Town Hall “urges people not to go there in order to avoid crowds”, because “if the emergency system required the collaboration of citizens, it would be announced in advance”. Likewise, they expressed their “most sincere gratitude” for “the countless proposals from people to collaborate with the system” deployed in the city.
