Death by water, burial by mud. Images of the once-in-a-century floods in Spain

by Junna Base November 10, 2024

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Twelve days have passed since then catastrophic flash floods It has left a muddy scar across eastern Spain, killing over 200 people and polluting the homes of thousands more.

Apocalyptic scenes documented by Associated Press photographers testify to the terrible power of nature being unleashed in all its violence.

It was as if a tsunami had not originated in the depths of the ocean and been thrown onto the shore, but had been hurled down by a vengeful sky god raged through sleepy villages and ordinary quarters.

Mud covers the area after the storm last Tuesday and early Wednesday that left hundreds dead or missing in the region, in Paiporta, an outskirts of Valencia, Spain, November 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Angel Garcia)

Vehicles pile up on the streets after flooding caused by the storm late Tuesday and early Wednesday that left hundreds dead or missing, in Alfafar, Valencia region, Spain, November 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Angel Garcia)

A man stands between flooded cars in Valencia, Spain, October 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The wild, newborn river surprised thousands, tossing cars around like toys and tearing down buildings closest to the normally dry canal banks, leaving widened, ragged edges.

Survivors say it only lasted 15 minutes Drainage canal that was crucial in the disaster go from empty to overflowing. Adjacent houses channeled the rushing water to amplify its pressure wave. Regional authorities He failed to alert the population in time, and in some places there wasn’t even rain, which kept people on guard, adding to the chaos.

Afterwards, the streets look like they’ve been transported back to the Middle Ages, covered in layers of mud that blocked any view of sidewalk or cobblestones.

Everything on the ground floor was turned into trash within minutes as the water entered the houses. Furniture, clothing, toys, photos, heirlooms…nothing was spared.

Part of a rotating world map showing Spain covered in mud after floods in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, November 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

People clear mud from a road in a flood-affected area in Catarroja, Spain, November 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A woman looks from her balcony at vehicles stuck on the road during flooding in Valencia, October 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Tania hugs her brother-in-law Baruc after rescuing some of her belongings from their flooded house following the floods in Paiporta, Valencia, Spain, November 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Dolores Merchan, 67, reacts in tears as volunteers help her clear mud from her home, where she has lived all her life with her husband and three children, from the floods in Masanasa, Valencia, Spain , was severely affected. November 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

People pick up goods at a flood-affected supermarket in Valencia, Spain, October 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A wall at a retirement center reads: “Goodbye, Mom. We didn’t arrive on time. “Sorry” after flooding in Picanya, on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain, November 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

The windows of a flood-affected house are pictured in Paiporta, at the epicenter of the floods, near Valencia, Spain, November 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The feeling of abandonment turned into anger for many residents, This resulted in Spain’s King and Prime Minister being pelted with clumps of mud as they visited the destroyed area.

Every foot is caked in mud, the sticky brown dirt that continues to seep out of houses and destroyed businesses after days, no matter how much is shoveled and swept away.

Spain’s King Felipe VI is being protected after a crowd of angry survivors of Spain’s floods threw mud and insulted the king and government officials as they paid their first visit to one of the hardest-hit towns after the floods in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, in November 3. 2024. (AP Photo/Hugo Torres)

A demonstrator holds his hands in front of riot police during a protest organized by social and civil society groups under the slogan “Mazón, resign” against Regional Government President Carlos Mazon in Valencia, denouncing the handling of the recent floods. Spain, November 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Mannequins are photographed partially buried in mud in a flood-affected area in Masanasa, Valencia, Spain, November 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Shovels lean against a wall during post-flood cleanup efforts in Massanassa, on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain, November 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Gloves and cleaning supplies hang in a window during cleanup after flooding at a house in Masanasa, Valencia, Spain, November 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

A chapel at a flood-damaged cemetery is seen after floods in Alfafar, on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain, November 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

The “thump, thump, thump” thumps in the air from military helicopters flying over the area described as “ground zero” of the Oct. 29 floods.

The search now continues miss. Searchers drive poles into mud banks in hopes of finding and recovering the bodies of the dead.

Members of Battalion V of the UME military emergency unit use a canoe to search the area on the outskirts of Valencia, Spain, for bodies washed away by the floods, Nov. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Emergency services remove cars from a flood-affected area in Catarroja, Spain, November 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Civil Guardsmen walk into a flooded parking garage to check cars for bodies in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, on November 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Members of Spain’s Civil Guard carry the body of a person who died in floods in Valencia, Spain, October 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

But even in the midst of despair, human generosity can be found.

As thousands of troops and police reinforcements clear the countless car wrecks, it is the people themselves, residents, neighbors and volunteers who are flocking on foot to help.

Strangers help those in need by diving into the dirt and moving toward distant renewal, inch by inch, with every shovel and throw.