The death toll from the DANA that devastated the province of Valencia on October 29, 2024, has risen to 234. The judge investigating the emergency management has recognized a 73-year-old resident of Paiporta as a new victim. He was injured during the flooding of his home and died weeks later at the Hospital General de Valencia.
Magistrate Nuria Ruiz Tobarra made the decision after examining a forensic medical report and the statements of the deceased's children, who appeared at the request of the Public Prosecutor's Office. With his inclusion in the judicial case, the balance goes from 233 to 234 people.
The new recognition comes one day after the second anniversary of the tragedy and while the victims' families continue to demand truth, justice, and accountability for the management of the Valencian Government then presided over by Carlos Mazón.
In her resolution, the head of the Catarroja court concludes that there is a relationship between the flood and the man's death, who suffered an infectious endocarditis caused by the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis. The judge considers the possible contact of a foot wound with contaminated surfaces to be decisive.
The deceased's children explained to the court that the water reached 1.70 meters high in their father's home in Paiporta, one of the towns most affected by the flood. According to their testimony, the man suffered wounds on a foot that he did not have before the flood and, in the following days, they observed that his toes swelled and acquired a purplish hue.
The neighbor then began to suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, and fever. He was admitted to the hospital on November 18 and died on the 26th, twenty-eight days after the DANA.
The forensic report indicated that a "unique and direct causal link" between the infection and the flood could not be established and that the wound was not sufficiently documented. At the same time, it admitted that this lesion could have been an entry point for the bacteria if it had been in contact with contaminated surfaces. The judge has related that report to the testimony of the relatives to agree on its inclusion in the summary.
The investigation maintains five other cases under study to determine if their deaths should also be recognized as a consequence of the DANA. The previous update occurred on September 28, when a woman from Catarroja who died in the hospital after suffering a fall in her home during the flood was added to the balance.
Two years of pain and demands for justice
The recognition of this new victim comes after a day of tributes in the affected municipalities. The associations of relatives and victims have taken advantage of the second anniversary to remember those who died and to demand again that it be clarified why the population was not alerted before the arrival of the flood.
The Generalitat presided over by Mazón sent the first massive alert to mobile phones at 8:11 p.m. on October 29, 2024, when the water had already entered numerous municipalities and emergency services had been receiving calls for help for hours. The then president arrived at the emergency coordination center after sending that message.
During that afternoon, Mazón remained for several hours at a meal with journalist Maribel Vilaplana at the El Ventorro restaurant in Valencia. His absence from the coordination center and the different explanations offered about his agenda became the focus of criticism from relatives and citizen mobilizations.
The former president resigned in November 2025, but retains his seat as a PP deputy in Les Corts Valencianes. Victims' associations have demanded that he hand over his act and have criticized his party for keeping him in the regional chamber.
In the days leading up to the anniversary, representatives of three associations of victims and affected people expressed that, two years later, they were still waiting for "truth, justice and reparation". Rosa Álvarez, president of the Association of Fatal Victims of the DANA 29-O, has also demanded restorative justice, memory and better prevention measures.
The associations have called for a demonstration in Valencia this Saturday, October 31, on the occasion of the second anniversary. The march is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. from the Plaza de la Virgen to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and will once again focus on their demands for accountability.
The investigation into the management remains open
The case being investigated by Nuria Ruiz Tobarra seeks to clarify whether the actions of those responsible for the emergency could have criminal consequences. The former Minister of Justice and Interior Salomé Pradas and the then regional secretary for Emergencies, Emilio Argüeso, remain under investigation.
In February of this year, the judge requested the High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community to also investigate Mazón, who is immune due to his status as a regional deputy. However, the Valencian High Court refused to do so, considering that there was not a sufficient basis to attribute a crime to him for the facts presented. Mazón has defended his actions and referred to that resolution.
The magistrate keeps the investigation open regarding the management of the emergency and the circumstances in which warnings were sent to the population. Pradas and Argüeso have defended their actions and their defenses have requested the dismissal of the case.
Meanwhile, the affected municipalities continue with the reconstruction. The Júcar Hydrographic Confederation has completed 17 emergency works for about 220 million euros, but larger-scale projects are still pending to reduce the risk of flooding in basins such as those of the Poyo ravine or the Magro river.
