Tragedy
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J. Martínez / R. C.
Valencia
Friday, 1 November 2024, 13:11
The Valencian town of Paiporta could largely be considered the epicentre of the human tragedy caused by the passage of the terrible and historic 'Dana', as at least 39 people from the municipality have lost their lives among the current total of 158 fatalities across Spain. Although there are many faces that would sadly feature on that list, the circumstances of Lourdes and her little baby stand out, as they could not withstand the force of the flood waters that swirled around them.
Neither did her husband, Antonio Tarazona, 59, who was carried off by the force of the water that ran through the streets of Paiporta on Tuesday night. Fortunately, however, he was spotted clinging to debris, and with no apparent serious injuries, and was rescued by Civil Protection volunteers. But he did not know at the time of the fate of his wife and young daughter.
Lourdes María García, 34, and Angeline, her baby of just three months, could not hold out for long on the roof of the small car driven by her husband. Just before 9pm, the deluge from the nearby Poyo ravine hit them halfway between their home and that of the paternal grandmother, whom they had gone to visit. They were aware that there was a weather warning due to the Dana that was already over Valencia, but they did not expect it to be so severe.
Antonio, who spent the whole of Wednesday searching for Lourdes (a native of Venezuela who had been living in Valencia for five years) and the baby, had helped them both onto the roof of the vehicle, before it was swept away by the water. "The last thing I saw was them calling for help from the car," said the distraught husband. He tried to swim for them, but it was impossible and he admitted that he was lucky not to have died in the attempt.
The woman was able to call the emergency number, 112, to ask for help and also spoke on the phone with her children’s nanny while she waited to be rescued by the emergency services. “Lourdes called me immediately; she was scared. She had just seen her husband disappear into the darkness,” Clara Andrés, the nanny, told ABC. “She told me she would try to hold on for as long as she could and that I should look after her two children (Sofía and Bajix, aged 10 and 13), who were at that moment alone in the house. She already feared the worst,” she added.
One of Lourdes' friends announced nearly 24 hours later the death of both of them through a message on her profile on the social media network X. 'Unfortunately, it has just been confirmed that Lourdes and the baby were found dead this morning. The police officer who had found them has contacted us and confirmed it. Today there are two more angels in heaven. Thank you all,' she wrote."
On Wednesday morning, when the worst of the Dana had left the province of Valencia behind, Clara was able to walk the six kilometres that separate Torrent, where she lives, from Paiporta. She did it on foot because of the poor state of the roads and the damage caused by the strong storm. Once she arrived at the family home, she could see that Lourdes' other two children were fine, although they were scared, as they had "spent the night in the dark and alone". They then took a backpack with some of their belongings and returned to her home, where she is now looking after them as she did almost every day before the tragedy.
Three other people missing in Paiporta, two of whose fate is still feared as the hours go by, were two Guardia Civil officers and the girlfriend of one of them. They were caught by surprise by rising water and the collapse of a wall when they were trying to get their vehicles out of the garage of the Guardia Civil headquarters in this Valencian town. In just a few minutes, the deluge practically flooded the garage and they were unable to get out, despite the efforts of officers who, despite trying, could not get in to rescue them. They then called the emergency numbers 112 and 062, but no rescue team was able to reach the scene due to the poor state of the area.
One of the Guardia Civil officers did manage to get out of the facility at the last moment after swimming to the emergency stairs. He was able to take hold of his girlfriend's arm in a desperate attempt to pull her to safety, but the force of the water eventually separated them and only he managed to survive.
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