WhatsApp messages show Valencia officials' responses during deadly 2024 Dana: 'There will be many dead'

Messages between Mazón and Catalá

WhatsApp messages incorporated into the judicial investigation of the Dana that killed 230 people in Valencia province on 29 October 2024 reveal the exchange between the mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, and the then-president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón. At 23:20, Mazón wrote to Catalá:

It's horrible. There will be many dead.

Catalá replied one minute later:

I know.

Seven minutes later, Mazón added:

Dozens for sure already.

Earlier that evening, Catalá had informed him they were at the local police headquarters, and Mazón had offered help.

Internal council chat and the security suggestion

In a separate WhatsApp group of the mayor's team, security councilor Jesús Carbonell raised the possibility of handing over emergency management to the central government during the night of the disaster. He wrote:

I wonder if we shouldn't move to level 3 [of the emergency] and have them help us.

He added a colloquial warning:

Or we'll be in big trouble.

The option was never activated. Meanwhile, councilor José Marí Olano made a joke in an internal chat minutes after the Es-Alert was sent at 20:11:

I called 112 to come attend to me from the fright I got from the SMS beep.

That was his only intervention in the chat that day.

Mayor's earlier protocol criticism

On the morning of 29 October, before the worst of the flooding, Mayor Catalá had already expressed frustration with the lack of coordinated protocols. In the council chat, she wrote:

It's illogical that we suspend outdoor activities in the city and don't warn schools to avoid the playgrounds.

She added:

There is no protocol for these situations. It's one inconsistency after another.

Judicial investigation

1. 2024-10-29 morningMayor Catalá criticizes lack of school protocol.
2. Oct 29, 08:11 PMEs-Alert emergency message sent.
3. Minutes after alertCouncilor Olano jokes about the alert in council chat.
4. Oct 29, 11:20 PMMazón tells Catalá: 'It's horrible, there will be many dead.'
5. Oct 29, 11:27 PMMazón adds: 'Dozens for sure already.'

The messages were provided by Catalá to the court in Catarroja investigating the tragedy. In her testimony, she confirmed there was no political contact on the day of the Dana, only technical-level communication. The court continues to examine the management of the emergency that left 230 fatalities.