Already more than 70 people have been reported dead, and when the final toll is reckoned many more, at present missing in the mud and debris, are likely to have been added to the list of victims of the camping site disaster in northern Spain. It is still a long way from the most horrific and destructive of such incidents the explosion of a tanker filled with liquid that killed 188 campers at the Spanish resort of San Carlos de la Rapita in 1978 but the sad indications last night were that it could rival that appalling event in terms of loss of life. By any yardstick it is a major tragedy.
Accidents of this kind inevitably arouse deep compassion for the relatives of those who have died and for the injured, and for the hundreds of others who have suffered traumatic shock. They come literally as bolts from the blue, unannounced and largely unpredictable, and in yesterday's reports there is a poignant reminder of their transitory nature. Shortly before the Virgen de las Nieves camp site was struck by a flood of rocks, mud and water the occupants were enjoying a calm summer's evening hours later, rescue workers were helped by the return of warmth and sunshine.
In the sympathy that will be widely felt for the victims, there is a large measure of fellow feeling. Most people have gone camping either as young adults seeking the maximum of freedom and the minimum of expense or as parents looking for a cheap and flexible holiday with their children. There are other reasons why camping is popular, including the sense of escaping from the regimentation of daily life in the city to a kind of primitive living. Almost by definition, camp sites are vulnerable places, located beside rivers or in mountain valleys, and safety is not always high on the list of priorities of their owners. Add the overcrowding, the large amount of heavy mobile equipment like cars and caravans, the low state of alertness among campers intent on enjoying themselves, and disaster, when it happens, can be devastatingly complete.
Hardly a summer passes without a loss of life in a camp site somewhere in mainland Europe as a result of flooding. Statistically, only a tiny fraction of the many thousands of people camping are at risk and the level of regulation and official control eliminates most dangers. Flash floods, like the one that swept away the campers at Virgen de las Nieves in the High Pyrenees, are not a new phenomenon, and there is no ready way to guard against them, short of the unrealistic one of banning all development in places where they could conceivably occur.
There is a suspicion, however, that climatic change may be starting to weigh the odds in the wrong direction. After severe winter flooding 18 months ago in a number of European countries, Earthwatch issued a warning about the ecological consequences of greenhouse gasses resulting from the increased use of fossil fuels. The link has so far not been proved scientifically, and the normal cyclical pattern of weather change may be responsible for the perception that western Europe's climate is getting wetter. Other human activities, like over exploitation of forests in mountainous areas, may increase the risk of flooding locally.
No doubt, specific reasons and recommendations for action to improve safety for campers will emerge after the latest accident has been investigated. It is unlikely, however, that there can be any all embracing formula to make it impossible for such incidents to occur without an unacceptable level of constraint.