PRIME minister Pedro Sanchez is set to visit a Valencia town ravaged by deadly floods after the first named storm of the season wreaked havoc across southeastern Spain.
Sanchez is due to arrive in Oliva at 12.30pm on Tuesday, just one day after catastrophic flooding left at least two people dead in the town and forced more than 2,000 people from their homes.
Emergency crews used helicopters to airlift around 280 people to safety as floodwaters engulfed homes and cut off entire neighbourhoods in Oliva.
A further three people have died in Valencia, Barcelona and Malaga since Storm Adam hit Spain over the weekend, while another 100 people were evacuated from the popular tourist hotspot of Javea, in neighbouring Alicante province.
?Esta mañana, nuestro helicóptero Helimer 202 ha rescatado a 8 adultos, 1 niño, 1 bebé y un perro en el municipio de Oliva.
— SALVAMENTO MARÍTIMO (@salvamentogob) October 19, 2026
??La operación ha sido coordinada desde el Centro de Coordinación de Valencia de #SalvamentoMarítimo, tras una solicitud de apoyo de Emergencias de la… pic.twitter.com/fWQWGT4Dz5
Authorities are also investigating whether the death of a farmer found in marshland near Oliva was linked to the storm, which would bring the death toll to six.
Speaking at a political rally in Valladolid ahead of the trip, the PM said: “Our full solidarity, our deepest empathy and the unwavering commitment of the Spanish government to everyone affected by the [storm] across the Mediterranean.”
The visit follows devastating flooding across Valencia, the Costa Blanca and Andalucia between Saturday and Monday.
The Valencian Community bore the brunt of the storm, with rainfall reaching a staggering 700mm in parts of the region over 24 hours.
Floodwater submerged streets and surged into buildings in Pego, Oliva, Forna, Denia and Gandia, with residents of 142 municipalities ordered to remain indoors.
Emergency services carried out around 500 rescues in the Valencia area alone, according to government delegate Pilar Bernabe.
Another 13 people had to be pulled from their cars after a tunnel flooded near Pilar de la Horadada, a popular tourist destination near Alicante.
The storm also forced dozens of road closures and damaged buildings, as torrents of rainwater surged through streets and poured into homes.
A 54-year-old woman drowned after entering the sea near Sagunto, Valencia, on Sunday despite warnings about dangerous conditions.
Her body was later recovered near Canet d’en Berenguer.
In Cabrera de Mar, Barcelona, a 35-year-old woman was swept away by a swollen stream on Saturday evening as she walked with her husband and two children.
“El cielo se convirtió en la única vía de escape viable para muchos de los afectados por las inundaciones en Oliva, Pego y otras poblaciones cercanas”.
— SALVAMENTO MARÍTIMO (@salvamentogob) October 20, 2026
?Y ahí estuvimos. El jefe del Centro de Coordinación de Salvamento Marítimo en Valencia, Ángel Buenaga, y su equipo de…
Her body was found at sea near Premia de Mar the following morning.
In Oliva, a 79-year-old woman with reduced mobility was found dead inside her flooded home on Monday.
Emergency crews also found a 64-year-old man who had suffered a cardiac arrest at a campsite in the town.
In Benaojan, Malaga, a 41-year-old man died on Monday when a large rock fell from a hillside onto the car he was travelling in. Three other people in the vehicle were injured.
Storm Adam was caused by what Spanish meteorologists call a DANA – a weather phenomenon that occurs when a mass of cold air becomes trapped high above the ground.
When this cold air meets warm, moisture-laden air rising from the Mediterranean, it can trigger powerful thunderstorms and torrential rain in a short space of time, causing flash floods.
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