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Diari Valencià

Mayor of Utiel Testifies on DANA and Authorizes Call List Release

The mayor of Utiel has testified before the judge investigating the DANA deaths, detailing his actions and authorizing access to his corporate phone calls.

Generic image of a courtroom, with the judge's bench and witness stand out of focus, with natural light.
IA

Generic image of a courtroom, with the judge's bench and witness stand out of focus, with natural light.

The mayor of Utiel testified today as a witness before the judge investigating the deaths of 230 people on October 29, 2024, authorizing access to his corporate mobile phone call list.

The mayor of Utiel's testimony is the first of about twenty mayors from affected towns who will appear before the Catarroja court. Utiel was one of the first localities affected by the floods when, from midday onwards, the Magro River began to overflow.
According to his account, the mayor acted on instinct when he decided to cancel classes early that morning. He began calling and sending emails to seek help from two in the afternoon. He also made a dramatic intervention on À Punt television at 14:15. He recalled contacting the Minister of Interior, the Spanish government delegate, the head of firefighters of the Diputación, and the president of the Diputación de Valencia. He does not recall if he spoke with the president of the Generalitat.
Sources present at the declaration indicate that the mayor has provided the judge with the list of calls made from his corporate mobile phone of the Diputación de Valencia. He explained that the company had not provided him with the list without a judicial order, and he has authorized the judge to request it.
In the list of calls that the president of the Generalitat submitted to the Corts Valencianes, there is no record of any call with the mayor of Utiel. However, the president of the Diputación stated in an interview that the president of the Generalitat had asked him for the mayor's phone number on the afternoon of October 29.
Regarding the suspension of classes, the mayor said that it was raining heavily in both the town and the region, and that he spoke with school directors and transport company officials. Together, they agreed to suspend classes based on intuition, as he received no warning or recommendation from Emergencies. According to the mayor, this decision prevented the deaths of students and parents.
Regarding the request for help, the mayor said they called 112 and everyone they thought could assist, requesting the activation of the UME. The overflow of the Magro and the flooding of the town occurred within minutes. He recalled that the forecast was for 60 liters per square meter, but 300 fell. The flood plan anticipates an eighty-centimeter rise, but the water reached over three meters.
Concerning the sending of the ES-Alert, which the judge is investigating, the mayor of Utiel stated that by five in the afternoon, there were already three meters of water in the municipality, and that the ES-Alert, sent at 20:11, would not have saved lives. Six people died in Utiel that day.

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