The municipality Valencian from Riba-roja de Túria has experienced a “traumatic” night due to DANA, which has hit the town, leaving people trapped and causing unprecedented “chaos.” Hundreds of workers have been trapped by water in different companies in the El Olivar industrial estate. “Everything is blocked, it’s like a mousetrap“explained the mayor, Robert Raga.
The councilor has expressed his dismay at the “extensive damage” to the municipality’s infrastructure. The rainfall, which caused the Turia River to overflow, caused severe damage to bridges and access roads, leaving the town isolated. “There are hundreds of trucks and cars stuck in the polygon“It’s a pretty big mess,” he noted.
The failure of two bridges has aggravated the situation by make it impossible for vehicles and people to leave the affected areas. In addition, the A-3 highway and the metro service remain blocked, preventing workers from returning to their homes and completely isolating the town. Throughout the night, municipal services and the Local Police worked on rescue and assistance tasks for those affected.
Rescue work continues
On this Wednesday morning, the council deployed buses to evacuate around 800 people trapped in companies in the industrial zone. They have been moved to the urban areawhere two public schools have been set up and are being provided with blankets, warm clothing and food. In addition, they have provided cell phone chargers so they can contact their families.
Rescue efforts are progressing with difficulty due to the inaccessibility of many areas, where a thousand people are still trapped. Emergency teams await the arrival of machinery to clear the roads that will allow them to access the most affected areas and continue evacuations. Workers have been forced to take shelter on rooftops due to the danger of high water levels.
Although so far No fatalities have been recorded in Riba-rojathe mayor has declared that they remain “extremely attentive and concerned” and the council has activated all available resources in collaboration with regional emergency services to ensure that there are no major consequences.
The Riba-roja City Council has reported that the people blocked in the El Oliveral industrial estate Those who can access it on foot can go to the polygon bridge at the height of Pedra Piquers street, where they will be directed to the Sector 12 and 13 roundabout so that a bus will pick them up to take them to the town.
Furthermore, and due to the disabling of the bridge over the Turia River, it has informed residents of the northern area of Riba-roja that, if they need urgent care, they should go to the L’Eliana Health Center, which will care for patients according to the instructions of the medical coordinator of the Manise Hospital