False claims and hoaxes surge as floods recede

Home to more than 120 shops, a cinema and 34 restaurants, the Bonaire shopping centre had long been known as one of the largest in the Valencia region. After flood waters coursed through the municipality of Aldaia two weeks ago, it began making headlines for another reason: disinformation over the fate of its vast underground car park.

- Ashifa Kassam

Online personalities, including one with more than 10 million followers, along with a prominent TV host and a far-right activist, seized on the fact that rescuers had been unable to enter the car park, falsely claiming it contained hundreds - if not thousands - of bodies.

Last week, as the flood waters receded, the claims were roundly discredited by Spanish police and the army, who said the car park had been searched and no bodies were found.

It was a glimpse of the speculation, false claims and hoaxes that surged after the deadly storm late last month, straining a country already wrestling with the deaths of more than 200 people. The disinformation started soon after the floods began, said Ximena Villagrán of Maldita.es, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to factchecking.