Last Saturday, Spanish authorities found the body of a woman in the province of Toledo, raising the tragic toll to six fatalities due to the torrential rains that hit Spain during the previous weekend.
The woman’s body was discovered by a dog from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) about 50 meters from the Vallehermoso River, near Valmojado, according to Antonia Requena, spokesperson for the Civil Guard. The victim was hidden in weeds and mud. Her vehicle, in poor condition, had been found the previous Monday.
These intense rains came after months of historic drought in Spain, which worsened the floods and their consequences. Search teams had already found the bodies of three men on Monday, and later, on Friday, two more dead men were found near the municipality of Aldea del Fresno, the area most affected by the flooding of the Alberche River.
The rains mainly affected the regions of Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha, in central Spain, where torrential rains and waterspouts were recorded overnight on Sunday.
In Madrid, heavy rainfall caused the temporary closure of several metro lines and an unprecedented emergency alert response through citizens’ mobile phones, urging them to stay home for their safety.
These floods have caused significant human and material losses and have highlighted the importance of natural disaster preparedness and response in the region.