In the Marjal de Pego-Oliva rescue workers found a farmer’s body on 20 October 2026. Sources familiar with the case confirmed this to the EFE news agency. Police and forensic experts are investigating whether the death is directly connected to the DANA Adam . If that connection is confirmed, the death toll from the storm would rise to five. So far, authorities have confirmed four deaths linked to the torrential rain in the Comunitat Valenciana and in Catalonia confirmed.
The Marjal de Pego-Oliva, a protected wetland on the border between the provinces of Valencia and Alicante, is among the worst-hit areas. According to regional figures, historically high rainfall of up to 720 millimetres fell in some places within a few hours. Large areas were flooded, roads and homes damaged, and agricultural crops affected.
Since the weekend, local emergency services, the Unidad Militar de Emergencias and civilian rescue services have been working around the clock in the region: evacuating residents, searching for missing people, pumping out water and securing critical infrastructure. In Oliva, a particularly badly affected town in the comarca of La Safor, the Unidad Militar de Emergencias recovered the body of an elderly woman on 19 October. A 64-year-old man also died at a campsite in Oliva; initial reports suggest he may have suffered heart failure. The Guardia Civil is coordinating investigations at the incident sites.
By the time of publication, authorities had given no further details about the identity or provisional cause of death in the newly discovered case in the Marjal de Pego-Oliva. Forensic examinations are expected to establish whether it was a direct consequence of the flooding or had other causes. In Spain, official classifications of this kind are usually made only after investigations are complete.
Meanwhile, the government of the Comunitat Valenciana and the affected town councils are preparing damage assessments. Initial reports from the agricultural sector point to substantial losses, including flooded rice fields and damaged citrus groves. The authorities will decide on assistance for those affected and repairs to damaged infrastructure after an initial overall assessment of the damage. Meteorological experts note that DANA Adam—a commonly used term in Spain for a cut-off upper-level low—caused locally extreme rainfall; a precise assessment of the causes and possible risk of recurrence is still pending.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).