The Sun, on Climate, 21 October 2026

6.0out of 10Serious

At least 7 killed and thousands evacuated with ‘disaster zone’ declared as Storm Adam continues to batter Spain

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Next AT least seven people have died in a catastrophic storm that forced thousands into emergency evacuation and left entire neighbourhoods submerged. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the flood-hit town of Oliva, Spain, where he was met with a chorus of boos as he declared the area a disaster zone after it was battered by Storm Adam. 10 Rescue crews were deployed from helicopters to rescue terrified people Credit: Viral Press 10 A 93-year-old was ferried to safety on a paddleboard Credit: Viral Press Advertisement 10 Damage to a bus stop following the passage of storm Adam Credit: EPA 10 Water raged down the streets in eastern Spain Credit: Viral Press A total of seven people have died since the start of the storm, including a farmer whose body was found in a waterlogged marsh in Oliva on Tuesday, according to antena3 .

Valencia and Alicante have been the worst affected with biblical flooding forcing the rescue of nearly 500 people and the evacuation of 2,100 terrified locals and tourists. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. Wild footage showed emergency crews ferrying a 93-year-old to safety on a paddle board while another clip shows locals desperately perching on roofs waiting to be rescued by helicopter.

Many terrified residents were trapped in their houses as violent torrents of brown water rushed the streets, sweeping cars and animals in its vicious current. read more in world news paradise lost Where Storm Adam is now after flooding in Ibiza, Valencia & holiday hotspots RED ALERT At least one dead as Storm Adam hits France with flash floods and torrential rain 10 Neighbourhoods have been left entirely submerged Credit: Viral Press 10 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the Forward Command Post in Oliva on Tuesday Credit: EPA Advertisement On Tuesday, Prime Minister Sánchez became the recipient of local fury after he reportedly failed to tour the worst-affected areas of Oliva or speak to any affected residents.

Instead he reportedly focused his visit on the Advanced Command Post where he held an emergency meeting to assess the flooding situation. He thanked the emergency teams for their work and announced that the government would approve the declaration of the area as severely affected by a civil protection emergency. Most read in The Sun SEE THE LIGHT Can you spot Jesus on the pavement?

Mysterious face emerges as visitors pray 'MURDER' PROBE Tributes to care worker found dead in car after being stabbed several times PURE EVIL Teen couple who met gaming online ‘stabbed their newborn baby to death’ RASHER THE DASHER Moment pack of skunk pigs hunt down woman and pet dog through park 10 Over 500 people have been rescued Credit: Viral Press Advertisement 10 A flooded cellar in Oliva Credit: EPA In parts of the Valencia region, .

Earlier this week, the Military Emergency Unit found the body of a woman in Oliva and a 64-year-old man who died of cardiac arrest at Eurocamping Oliva . In Málaga, a 41-year-old man died after a rock struck his vehicle in Benaoján. On Tuesday , a farmer was discovered and a man believed to be in his 60s or 70s was found in the sea off Cala de Brut, in Menorca. Advertisement 10 Firefighters pump out water from flooded garages in the Valencia province Credit: EPA 10 A flooded campsite on Oliva Credit: EPA Over the weekend, a woman died while swimming in Sagunto, Valencia.

Across the border in France a man was killed after being swept into a lagoon in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts, in the south. Storm Adam brought “exceptional amounts” of rain to southern France causing rivers to burst their banks and streets to be swamped. Advertisement The worst of the weather pattern appears to be passing the region with conditions set to improve in southern and eastern Spain throughout the week.

However, authorities are now dealing with the extensive damage caused by the storm. The rainfall has damaged various infrastructures in the municipality of Valencia, including pavements and part of the seafront promenade, which has been lifted by the force of the water. Residents have also suffered material losses, especially to vehicles parked in the flooded areas – one family based in Oliva say they lost three cars during storm. RECOMMENDED STORIES Clean-up efforts have already begun trucks loading debris from mud-slicked streets and water pumped from flooded areas.

Advertisement The Balearic Islands remain under weather warnings for rain and storms throughout Wednesday with the Military Emergency Unit continuing pumping water from affected areas in Ibiza which was hit hard last week.

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What we found (1)

The Sun reports Storm Adam's deaths, evacuations and extreme rainfall in Spain and France in detail. It never tells its reader that warming is making extreme rainfall like this more frequent and more intense, so the reader sees the deluge with no link to the changing climate.

  1. Leaves out the climate link

    Serious

    “up to 700 litres of rain per square metre fell in just 24 hours”

    Why this matters
    The Sun gives a record rainfall figure, up to 700 litres per square metre in 24 hours, as a bare weather fact. Nothing next to it or anywhere in the article connects it to warming.
    The impression it gives
    A reader takes this extreme downpour as a freak natural event that bears no relation to climate change.
    The context
    Human-caused warming has made heavy rainfall more frequent and more severe. The same week, other coverage reported that Spain had just had its hottest September and warmest summer on record. The article contains no word on climate change or warming.

    How we know

    Show it in the article

    “Storm Adam, the first major storm of the autumn , has had a catastrophic impact on the Mediterranean.”

    Why this matters
    The Sun sums up the storm's toll as catastrophic and calls it simply the first major storm of the autumn. That presents it as part of an ordinary seasonal cycle.
    The impression it gives
    A reader believes the scale of the harm comes from normal autumn weather alone.
    The context
    Warming loads the dice towards heavier rainfall, so a catastrophic autumn deluge is not only seasonal routine. The article never says so.

    How we know

    • On the recordThat warming has made hot extremes, heavy rainfall, agricultural and ecological drought, fire weather and intense tropical cyclones more frequent or more severe.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
    • On the recordIt is unequivocal that human influence, chiefly the burning of fossil fuels, has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land.ipcc.ch (opens in a new tab)
    • Checked against the whole articleIt never uses the words “warming”.

    Show it in the article

    Written straight

    In parts of the Valencia region, up to 700 litres of rain per square metre fell in just 24 hours. Climate change is making extreme rainfall like this more frequent and more intense.

How other outlets reported it

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