A family in Spain who survived a flood has to grapple with the loss of two young brothers who went missing during the natural disaster. In the time it took for them to find the boys, the family assumed the two children had not survived. But the confirmation of their worst fear has made their grief that much more palpable.
Ruben and Izan Matias Calatayud were swept away from their father’s arms in Valencia, Spain, after a trailer came loose and the walls caved in at their home. The boys had been waiting to eat the dinner their father had prepared for the family when the horrific incident occurred.
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A relative told the media that the two-week search for the two brothers ended in tragedy, the Mirror reported. Search and rescuers found their bodies 6 miles downstream from their home, according to NBC News. The bodies of the two boys were reportedly found in different locations. Police informed the family of the devastating news.
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The boys’ aunt, Barbara Sastre, told Spain’s state TVE that the boys’ mother was working in Valencia while their father was home with them when the flood hit at 6:30 p.m. She said the sound of the water scared the children so their dad moved them to the living room to calm them.
Eventually water burst through the wall, dragging the three of them out of the home. The father, who has not been named, attempted to hold on to both boys, but they were swept away.
Volunteers from all over the country searched for the two boys, ages 5 and 3, for the past two weeks. Their father managed to survive the natural disaster by clinging to a tree branch. Authorities rescued him after four hours and he suffered serious injuries.
Sastre spoke to the media after hearing the news about the boys. “We’re devastated,” she said. We weren’t expecting them to be found alive but it always hurts when you get confirmation they’ve died.” Another relative offered this: “Our little angels are now looking after us from heaven.”
The official death toll for the October 29 floods is 223, and 17 people remain missing. There is another storm warning in the region as of November 12. Areas potentially affected include the Spanish coast and the southern city of Malaga. Emergency workers have moved people from homes at risk of flooding and asked citizens to move to higher ground. Schools have also suspended classes in Malaga, Valencia, and some municipalities of Catalonia.
