Mexico's ‘Topos Azteca’ rescue team search for missing people in Valencia

Record ID: 1856286

  • Title: Mexico's ‘Topos Azteca’ rescue team search for missing people in Valencia
  • Date: 14th November 2024
  • Summary: VALENCIA, SPAIN (NOVEMBER 14, 2024) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MEMBERS OF MEXICAN ‘TOPOS AZTECA’ RESCUE TEAM CUTTING STICKS AND BRANCHES TO USE IN SEARCH OPERATIONS 'TOPOS AZTECA' HEAD AND FOUNDER HECTOR MENDEZ, KNOWN AS EL CHINO, SPEAKING WITH TEAM AND GRABBING STICK STICK BEING CUT VARIOUS OF MEMBERS OF TOPOS AZTECA SEARCHING IN FLOODED AREAS AND BY DESTROYED CARS PILED UP RESCUE MEMBER WORKING SEEN FROM CAR'S WINDOW SEARCH OPERATION UNDERWAY DOLL ON FLOODED GROUND / LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS IN THE BACKGROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) 'TOPOS AZTECA' HEAD AND FOUNDER HECTOR MENDEZ, 78, KNOWN AS EL CHINO, SAYING: "We have joined the efforts of authorities, rescue teams, civil society and lots of volunteers who came from all across this country." PILED UP CARS / RESCUE TEAM WORKING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) 'TOPOS AZTECA' HEAD AND FOUNDER HECTOR MENDEZ, 78, KNOWN AS EL CHINO, SAYING: "The work we are doing now we have previously done it in Venezuela, Minas Gerais in Brazil, in Teziutlan and La Pintada in Mexico, we have been in Washington in the United States. We've had the chance of doing this job in several parts." VARIOUS OF PATCHES OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES WHERE MENDEZ HAS WORKED ON HIS SUIT MENDEZ LOOKING AT TEAM WORKING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) 'TOPOS AZTECA' HEAD AND FOUNDER HECTOR MENDEZ, 78, KNOWN AS EL CHINO, SAYING: "This reminds me of Indonesia, the tsunami of December 26th of 2004, in the Ulele beach, that was terrible because you need to remind there was half a million of dead people but then you get there and see a bleak place, the cars piled up over there, you see everything swept by the water so even after so many years, in 2004 so 20 years after, those images of dead people, these kind of piled-up cars come to my mind." VARIOUS OF TOPOS AZTECA MEMBERS WORKING BY PILED UP CARS RESCUE MEMBER COMING OUT FROM TUNNEL RESCUE MEMBERS STANDING BY TUNNEL VARIOUS OF RESCUE MEMBERS USING STICKS DURING SEARCH OPERATION TO PROBE UNDERNEATH THE NEW LAYER OF MUD LEFT FOLLOWING THE FLOOD (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) TOPOS AZTECA RESCUE TEAM MEMBER CARMEN SANCHEZ FROM MEXICAN CITY OF MORELIA, 28, SAYING: "When we started walking around in the areas where we were due to work we started to realise the situation, there were cars metres down, in the water, buried and you couldn't see them, it was a very shocking image." VARIOUS OF SANCHEZ AND TEAM MATES SEARCHING WITH STICK ON FLOODED AREA (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) TOPOS AZTECA RESCUE TEAM MEMBER CARMEN SANCHEZ FROM MEXICAN CITY OF MORELIA, 28, SAYING: "The complicated thing about searching is that is a very thorough job, because you could find someone where you expect it the least , and we don't really know what we are looking for, we are not going for an specific objective. It's a very big area so we really don't know what we can find and where we need to search." RESCUE MEMBERS SEARCHING BELOW CAR MENDEZ WALKING DESTROYED CAR AND DEBRIS / TRACTOR WORKING VARIOUS OF LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS SEARCHING INSIDE VAN VARIOUS OF TOPOS AZTECA MEMBERS SEARCHING IN CARS AND FLOODED AREAS SANCHEZ SEARCHING WITH STICK VARIOUS OF TOPOS AZTECA MEMBERS WORKING VARIOUS OF TOPOS AZTECA TEAM HAVING LUNCH NEAR VAN OF LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES
  • Embargoed: 28th November 2024 19:15
  • Keywords: Mexico Spain Topos Azteca Valencia floods rescue team search
  • Location: VALENCIA, SPAIN
  • City: VALENCIA, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Topics: Disaster/Accidents,Europe,Floods
  • Reuters ID: LVA001980414112024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Mexico's Topos Azteca rescue team have joined search efforts in Valencia following floods that killed more than 200 people in eastern Spain.
    Lead by 78-year-old Hector Mendez, the Topos have worked in several countries after natural disasters and arrived in Valencia on November 4, five days after deadly floods in the region and have been working since then with local authorities and emergency services.
    "When we started walking around in the areas where we were due to work we started to realise the situation, there were cars metres down, in the water, buried and you couldn't see them, it was a very shocking image," said Carmen Sanchez from Mexican city of Morelia and member of the rescue team since 2016.
    As of Tuesday (November 12), Spanish authorities have confirmed a total of 223 people dead so far in the October 29 floods, and 17 remained missing.
    Several search-and-rescue groups with the phrase "los topos" which means the moles - in their names emerged from local efforts to help after the devastating earthquake in Mexico City in 1985.
    Since then, Mexican teams have responded to disasters around the world.
    Spain's national weather service on Thursday (November 14) downgraded bad weather alerts after powerful storms hit southern Malaga province and eastern Valencia, already battered by deadly flash floods two weeks ago, causing damage but no casualties.
    (Production: Michael Gore, Eva Manez, Miguel Gutierrez)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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