Spain hit by devastating floods; At least 158 dead, several missing
Valencia: Flash floods in Spain have resulted in the tragic loss of at least 158 lives, with numerous individuals still missing. Over 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response unit have been deployed to the hardest-hit areas.
Cars are stacked upon each other, resembling fallen dominoes, while uprooted trees, downed power lines, and debris litter the streets, which are engulfed in mud in Valencia, located south of Barcelona on the Mediterranean coast, reported the Associated Press on Friday.
Luís Sánchez, a welder, recounted the harrowing experience of witnessing bodies floating in the water and attempting to rescue those trapped in their vehicles on the flooded V-31 highway. "The firefighters took the elderly first when they could get in. People were crying all over; they were trapped," he told the news organisation.
The floods transformed narrow streets into treacherous traps, destroying homes and businesses, and sweeping away people, cars and everything else in its path. Bridges have been destroyed, and roads are now unrecognisable.
In a televised address, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed solidarity with those affected, stating, "All of Spain weeps with all of you. We won't abandon you." He emphasised that the disaster is not over and pledged to mobilise all necessary resources for this tragedy.
This flood marks one of Spain’s deadliest natural disaster since 1973, when approximately 150 people lost their lives in the southeastern provinces of Granada, Murcia, and Almería.
Scientists warn that extreme weather events like the storm that struck Valencia are becoming increasingly severe, prolonged, and frequent due to human-induced climate change.
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Stalin accuses Centre of trying to use women's quota as 'weapon,' slams EPS over delimitation
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has strongly criticised the Centre over the women's reservation and accused it of trying to use it as a "weapon" to tackle the opposition before taking up the delimitation exercise based on population.
"The Union government is not concerned about implementing reservations for women. If their concerns were genuine, they could have done it right away. Rather than doing that, the BJP-led Centre is thinking of using it as a weapon to tackle opposition and take up the delimitation exercise based on population," he told PTI in an interview.
"Hence, the women's reservation must be implemented immediately without showing delimitation as a reason," the DMK president added.
Expressing apprehensions on the proposed delimitation exercise, the CM said it was the DMK that raised the first voice asserting the rights of the state after realising that Tamil Nadu would be affected by the proposed exercise. He also attacked his rival and AIADMK chief Edappadi K Palaniswami over the delimitation issue.
Recalling efforts made by the DMK to raise the issue of population-based delimitation, he said an all-party meeting and a meeting of CMs under the auspices of the Joint Action Committee seeking fair delimitation were convened. It sought to freeze delimitation for 25 years and stick to it based on the 1971 Census population.
"We urged the union government that states which successfully implemented population control programmes must not be punished," he added.
The party came up with "Tamil Nadu poradum, Tamil Nadu vellum" (Tamil Nadu will struggle, Tamil Nadu will win) and this is DMK's stand, he said.
"However, Palaniswami, who is seeking votes for the entry of the BJP through the backdoor, has till date been mute over delimitation, and this is a betrayal of the people of Tamil Nadu."
