SpainThe mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, testified before the court investigating the October 29, 2024 flood disaster that caused 230 deaths in the province. She stated there was no political contact during the critical hours of the event and that she was not informed by regional authorities about the possibility of issuing an ES-Alert, which the judge attributes to many of the fatalities. Catalá emphasized that communication between local and regional emergency coordination centers occurred at a technical level. She claimed she became aware of the flooding in the afternoon, shortly after the mass alert was issued, and described the severity of the situation, noting that firefighters had to use boats from a local sailing club to conduct rescues in affected areas.
Bias read (Center): The article presents testimony from a political figure without overtly biased language or selective sourcing. It reports on legal proceedings involving officials and their actions during a crisis, but does not take a clear stance on culpability or ideological positioning.
