A former Valencia player has tragically died in the recent floods in Spain.
The country has been shaken by the disaster, with 158 dead so far and many fear those numbers will continue to rise in the coming days, with the help of the army.
Emergency teams are carrying out house-to-house searches in the worst-affected Valencia region in eastern Spain, and officials fear the death toll will rise.
It comes after buildings and bridges were washed away as towns were engulfed in a deluge of mud with overturned cars strewn across the streets after more than a year’s worth of rain fell in just eight hours earlier this week.
And among the casualties so far is the footballer José Castillejo, who was 28 years old and had played for several clubs in his home country, including the LaLiga giant.
Former Valencia footballer José Castillejo, 28, has died in Spain due to the floods that have shaken the country
Aerial image showing mud-stained roads near Valencia covered with smashed cars and other debris.
“We mourn the death of José Castillejo, a victim of the Dana disasters,” Valencia said in a statement.
‘He was part of the club’s Academy until his youth stage and has played for several teams in the Valencian Community. RIP.’
Eldense, for its part, in which Castillejo played between January and August 2016, added: “We deeply regret the death at the age of 28 of José Castillejo, former blue and white player in the 2015/2016 season. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends.’
Having played in Valencia’s academy, Castillejo, who was a midfielder, also played for teams such as Paterna, CD Buñol, Recam Colón and Torre Levante.
On Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned residents to stay home as he raised the official crisis level, warning that “this phenomenon is not over.”
The Valencia region was the worst affected with 92 people dead between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.
Parts of the eastern region of Spain were inundated with more than a year’s worth of rain in just eight hours on Tuesday, causing monstrous flash floods.
The torrents of water destroyed entire towns and a An unknown number of people remain missing.
Thousands of people were left without water or electricity and hundreds were stranded after their cars were in accidents or roads were blocked.
Aerial photographs have revealed the apocalyptic scale of destruction caused by the floods
People stand next to stranded cars after flooding in Valencia, Spain, on October 31, 2024.
A woman looks at a mud-covered road and damaged houses in the flood-affected municipality of Chiva, near Valencia, Spain, on October 31, 2024.
Scientists have linked the catastrophe to climate change, which is also behind the increase in temperatures and droughts in Spain and the warming of the Mediterranean Sea.
Walls of running water turned narrow streets into death traps and generated rivers that destroyed the ground floors of houses and devastated everything in their path.
The aftermath, which has seen streets packed with vehicles and water rushing down normally busy roads, appears eerily similar to the damage caused by a strong hurricane or tsunami.
Wrecked vehicles, tree branches, downed power lines and household items, all covered in a layer of mud, littered the streets of Utiel, just one of dozens of cities in the region hardest hit.