Lorraine Williamson
A Valencia judge has given former regional president Carlos Mazón five days to voluntarily provide his WhatsApp messages and call records from the day of the deadly DANA floods.
The request marks a fresh step in the judicial investigation into the emergency response on 29 October 2024, when flooding devastated parts of Valencia and left 230 people dead.
Judge seeks calls, WhatsApps and message records
The judge in Catarroja has asked Mazón to provide his incoming and outgoing call records from the day of the floods, along with WhatsApp messages and other communications linked to the emergency.
He has also been asked to include phone bills connected to those call records, according to the Spanish agency EFE and other Spanish media. The information is being requested voluntarily, and Mazón has been given five days to respond.
Testimony still depends on Valencia court decision
Mazón has not yet been called to testify. The judge has postponed setting a date until the Provincial Court of Valencia rules on his attempt to appear formally in the case.
Cadena SER reports that the judge has delayed his witness statement while that appeal is resolved. A previous decision to call him as a witness had already been made, but the legal timetable has now shifted again.
Why the messages matter
The investigation is focused on whether the emergency response to the DANA was handled properly.
For families of victims, the timeline of decisions on 29 October remains central. One of the most sensitive questions is what officials knew, when they knew it, and how quickly alerts and emergency instructions were issued.
Mazón’s communications could help clarify his movements and contacts during the critical hours of the disaster.
TSJ decision keeps focus on witness role
The latest court move follows a decision by the Valencian High Court not to open an investigation into Mazón himself.
Even so, the Catarroja judge considers his testimony important to the case. El País reports that the judge has reiterated the request for his messages and calls, while maintaining that his appearance as a witness remains relevant.
DANA accountability remains unresolved
The Valencia DANA remains one of Spain’s most painful recent disasters. Beyond the legal process, it has triggered a wider political and public debate over emergency alerts, regional responsibility, and disaster planning.
This latest request does not mean Mazón has been accused of wrongdoing in the case. But it does show that the courts are still trying to reconstruct the official response hour by hour.
For relatives of the victims, the central question has not changed: whether the tragedy was made worse by avoidable delay, confusion, or poor coordination.