Over 220 people have died in the terrible storms that started on October 29 in Valencia, Spain. The sad story of brothers Rubén and Izan Matías Calatayud has captured the hearts of people across the country.
The three- and five-year-old boys were waiting for dinner at home in Torrent on the night of the flood. While their dad was cooking, a huge wave of water hit their neighbourhood and destroyed everything in its path. They had walls fall down when a trailer hit their house.
The father desperately held on to his sons and fought to save them. He tried hard to hold on to the brothers, but the strong currents ripped them away. The father made it through hours of hanging to a tree branch, badly hurt.
As soon as the mother got home from work, her family was in pieces. Helpers looked for Rubén and Izan for two agonising weeks. Finally, their bodies were found six miles downstream, in two different places.
You can feel the family’s pain. A family member said, “Our little angels are now watching over us from heaven.” The father, who is still in the hospital, feels overwhelming guilt. His mother told him that he thought about giving up but chose to stay strong for his wife.
Seeing this tragedy makes me think of how powerful nature is and how fragile life is. As Spain rebuilds, people will always remember Rubén and Izan’s story, which shows how a father can fight bravely against an unbeatable force.
