THIS is the terrifying moment rescuers airlifted a baby and elderly woman from the devastating floods that have killed at least 158 people in Spain.
Authorities have desperately attempted to save people caught in the country’s worst natural disaster in living history, but warn more victims could be found.
Alicante CouncilRescuers in Spain airlifted an elderly woman to safety[/caption]
Alicante CouncilShocking footage showed the moment a baby was saved from the catastrophic flash floods[/caption]
GettyAn emergency worker carried a child after flash-flooding hit Valencia on Wednesday[/caption]
Spain’s military emergency unit were captured rescuing some of the affected area’s most vulnerable people.
Footage showed how an elderly woman, who seemed to be unable to move, was airlifted in a metal cage.
The roads below her were seen to be covered in mud and cars were piled up on debris.
A separate video showed the heartbreaking moment a baby was saved and airlifted onto a plane in a rescuer’s arms, in the country’s worst hit region of Valencia.
Officials at the Alicante Provincial Council firefighters revealed that the baby’s mother was also saved.
This video showed the extent of the devastation as the ground below the helicopter and baby only showed the tops of trees above the sea of brown water.
Images across the region showed the horrific devastation and damage caused by the apocalyptic flash floods.
Trees had been uprooted, cars had piled up on each other like dominoes, and powerlines were brought down.
The power of the unexpected torrent even tore down bridges in its way.
A terrifying video caught the moment an entire bridge in Paiporta, Valencia, where at least 40 people have died, was wiped out in seconds.
A local welder, Luis Sanchez, revealed what he saw when the floods turned the highway he was on into a graveyard.
Sanchez said: “I saw bodies floating past. I called out but nothing.
“The firefighters took the elderly first, when they could get in. I am from nearby so I tried to help and rescue people.
“People were crying all over, they were trapped.”
Spain’s Transport Minister Oscar Puente said the death toll is expected to rise as dead bodies are being found inside vehicles.
Other government officials added the number of missing people is still unknown as some areas have been inaccessible to rescuers.
These horrific scenes could worsen as the area already hit by the natural disaster are forecast to see more heavy downpours tomorrow.
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared the area a disaster zone and also warned the public about the incoming weather.
APA man stands among flooded cars piled up in Valencia, Spain[/caption]
ReutersRoads and cars were damaged by the flash flooding[/caption]
Sanchez said: “The most important thing is that I know Spanish people are aware that this phenomenon has not finished.”
He added: “All of those who have been affected, please stay at home.”
Thousands of residents in the Valencia province have already been left without power and clean water.
Valencia’s regional government has come under fire for not sending floor warnings out to people by phone until 8 pm on Tuesday, when the catastrophic weather had already hit.
The mayor of the village L’Alcudia, Andreu Salom, likened the flooding to a tsunami.
Salom said: “I myself was on my way to check the river level because I had no information.
GettyFirefighters and police officers work in Cadiz, Spain after heavy rain and flooding that hit large parts of the country[/caption]
GettyPeople cross a flooded street in Cadiz on Wednesday[/caption]
EPAResidents look at a damaged bridge in the flood-hit municipality of Ribarroja del Turia[/caption]
“I went with the local police but we had to turn back because a tsunami of water, mud, reeds and dirt was already entering the town.”
Regional President Carlos Mazon defended the management of the crisis, as he said “all our supervisors followed the standard protocol.”
The suffering region is also fighting looters that have taken advantage of the horrifying situation.
Police have arrested 39 people who were allegedly stealing from closed shops.
Shops fronts across the region have been smashed into and emptied.
Cops have been sent out to patrol shopping centres from criminals targeting electronics, according to El Pais.
Closed stores and a lack of water saw thousands of locals in Paiporta head to one fresh water distribution point, run by a singular local volunteer.
Marisol Lara, a 62-year-old widow, waited with plastic bottles, according to The Telegraph.
Lara said: “The authorities are not here. Not the mayor, no one.”
She added: “If there is no water to drink, we cannot live.”
AEMETHighlighted areas are set to receive more rain[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
