Many people have been surprised by DANA – rated as the worst of the century – in their homes, in the middle of the road… but also in several shopping centers. It is estimated that up to 700 people have seen the water rise at times and have been trapped in these establishments. For example, in a shopping center in Alfafar, in Valencia, 100 people had to be rescued after staying in a store sheltered from the storm.
In these businesses, this Wednesday some neighbors took advantage of the fact that they were destroyed to enter and take everything they had within their reach. The most affected town has been Aldaia, Valencia, but looting has also been reported in local businesses in Paiporta and Catarroja.
Bottled water and luxury items
From basic necessities such as bottled water or food, to clothing, shoes and hundreds of luxury items. As images of the damage spread, videos of looting in supermarkets also began to circulate. One of the most shared videos on TiKTok shows several people opening the blinds of an establishment to take boxes of water, generating great controversy on social networks.
Some comments, in defense of the looters, suggest that access to essential goods such as water in a situation should be permissible, while others condemn the acts as a sign of lack of ethics and respect for private property. “Are we really going to judge those who only take water to survive?” exclaims one user, while another responds with indignation at the idea that “taking advantage of an emergency situation justifies theft.”
This division of opinion highlights the tension between basic needs and compliance with the law. a common dilemma in disaster situations that leaves open the question of how far the justification of these acts goes.
39 detainees, including minors
For its part, the National Police arrested 39 people on Wednesday night, including several minors, for robberies in the commercial areas most affected by DANA. According to the Police, who reported this Thursday on the social network X about this special device, the agents have recovered “a multitude of stolen effects.”
The @police has arrested 39 people tonight as part of a special crime prevention device launched around the commercial areas most affected by the #DANA
Many stolen effects have been recovered pic.twitter.com/biAcSh5STU
— National Police (@policia) October 31, 2024
Police sources have indicated that the arrests began to be made yesterday and most of them are due to robberies in a shopping center in Aldaia. There are minors among those arrested.
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