MASSANASSA: A labourer working on repairs to a school near Valencia damaged in the deadly floods that ravaged eastern Spain last month was killed when a roof collapsed, authorities said on Sunday.
The 51-year-old man was killed during “repair work in this establishment” in Massanassa, a town of 9,000 people in the Valencia suburbs, regional prefect Pilar Bernabe told journalists during a visit to the site.
A second worker, aged 35, was injured and taken to hospital following the incident at the Lluis Vives school, which occurred around midday, she added.
Officials say some soldiers from an emergency unit tasked with responding to natural disasters were in the building when the roof collapsed but managed to escape unscathed.
The school is one of the buildings worst hit by the recent flooding, said Spanish media reports.
The school’s director, Salvador Crespo, said around 20 vehicles were crushed against the building on the night of the October 29, having been carried away by the floodwaters.
Officials had forbidden the reopening of the building because of the damage it had suffered. A few days ago, it was listed for demolition because of its poor condition, after architects examined the building, said the town’s mayor, Paco Comes.
PM’s tribute
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted on X offering his and his government’s solidarity with “the family, friends and colleagues of the deceased worker.
“I should like to thank and salute the work of all those participating tirelessly on the reconstruction work,“ he added.
“Their devotion and their commitment are the best example of public service.”
The flooding in eastern Spain claimed at least 228 lives -- all but seven in the Valencia region.
Valencia regional president Carlos Mazon, who said the deceased and the injured colleague both worked for public works company Tragsa, has called an emergency meeting following the incident.
The meeting would analyse what had happened and why so as to try to prevent it happening again, he added.
Mazon has been under fire in recent weeks over what some have deemed a chaotic response by regional authorities to the flooding.
The latest tragedy to hit the region comes amid ongoing work to clear and restore infrastructure destroyed by the flooding, which damaged thousands of buildings and vehicles.
Valencia’s regional administration says state and regional services have cleared some 200,000 tons of mud and waste since the end of last month.
