Rescuers inside the parking lot at the Bonaire shopping centre in Aldaia. Picture: Spanish Police
Spain is not only reeling from its worst flooding in decades but also from lies about its cause that have gone viral on social media.
Bots are now amplifying social media posts about DANA, an intensified version of a weather phenomenon known as a “cold drop” — when a mass of warm air collides with a stagnant mass of cold air at high altitude, say European media reports.
Bots on Twitter/X are replicating tweets from other users with lies and violent messages about the floods, which killed at least 217 people and caused widespread destruction.
These accounts are verified and can interact with other posts to increase the visibility of content, topic or profile.
One online lie involves a car park at the Bonaire shopping centre in Aldaia (close to Valencia) which falsely stated deaths and that the car park had at least 100 cars inside.
Spanish national police were set to launch a rescue operation until it was confirmed there had been no reports of deaths or people inside.
The mayor of Aldaia, Guillermo Lujan, said the place was “practically empty” with only 20 vehicles inside.
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Of the 219 deaths, 211 of them were in the Valencia region with another seven deaths in neighbouring Castilla La Mancha and one in southern Andalusia, according to media reports
Ninety-three people are officially missing but another 54 bodies remain unidentified. In total, 36,605 people have been rescued, according to authorities.
Spain’s Consortium for Insurance Compensation, a public-private entity that pays insurance claims for extreme risks like floods, estimates that it will spend at least $3.8 billion in compensation.
The consortium has received 116,000 insurance claims for flood damage with 60 per cent of claims for cars and 31 percent for homes. Spain’s Association of Insurance Companies anticipates the flooding will break a historic record for payouts.
The Transport Ministry has so far repaired 232 kilometres of road and rail tracks but the highspeed train line between Valencia and Madrid was demolished.
The central government has approved a $11.6-billion relief package for families, business and townhalls. The Valencia regional government is asking Madrid for $33 billion in aid as well.
The European Space Agency said that, according to satellite images captured on Oct. 31, water covered an area of 15,633 hectares (38,600 acres). About 190,000 people were directly affected, the agency said.
The emergency operation mobilized by central authorities has grown to more than 17,000 troops and police officers.
The operation includes 8000 soldiers (2100 of them from disaster response units) and 9200 police officers from other parts of the country.
