Nuria Ruiz Tobarra

Nuria Ruiz Tobarra is a judge at the Tribunal de Instancia de Catarroja in Valencia, Spain. She is currently presiding over the criminal investigation into the devastating DANA (isolated high-altitude depression) event that struck the province of Valencia on October 29, 2024, resulting in 230 deaths. She has recently made headlines for summoning Carlos Mazón, the then-president of the Generalitat Valenciana, to testify as a witness in the case. This decision comes after the Tribunal Superior de Justicia de la Comunitat Valenciana (TSJCV) rejected arguments to formally accuse Mazón. Additionally, two experts in Geography from the Universitat de València testified before Judge Ruiz Tobarra, stating that the DANA event was predictable with the information available to the regional administration at the time. Her investigation is significant as it seeks to determine potential culpability in the handling of the disaster and whether sufficient preventative measures were taken.