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At least 72 people have died in flooding in parts of Spain as torrential rain turned streets into rivers and disrupted transport services.
The rain storms on Tuesday covered southern and eastern parts of the country, including the Costa del Sol region with the cities of Valencia and Malaga both impacted.
Pictures showed emergency workers wading through mud-coloured waters to rescue people, while cars and van appeared stranded. More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units have been deployed to the the worst-hit areas.
For updates on the flooding – follow our blog here
On Wednesday morning, the regional government of Valencia, the worst affected area, confirmed that 62 people had died in the floods. The death toll could rise with other regions yet to report victims and search efforts continuing in areas with difficult access.
Carlos Mazon, the regional leader of Valencia, told a press conference some people remained isolated in inaccessible locations as searches continued for those unaccounted for.
Emergency services have urged people to avoid road travel and to follow further updates from official sources.
Spain’s state weather agency AEMET declared a red alert in Valencia, with some areas such as the towns of Turis and Utiel having recorded 7.9 inches of rainfall.
More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units were deployed to the devastated areas.
The mayor of Utiel, Ricardo Gabaldon told national broadcaster RTVE. He said several people were still missing in his town.
“We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to three meters,” he said.
In the village of Letur in the neighbouring Castilla La Mancha region, mayor Sergio Marin Sanchez said six people were missing.
Trains to the cities of Madrid and Barcelona have cancelled due to the flooding, and schools and other essential services were closed in the worst-hit areas.
Lower house Speaker Francine Armengol said Wednesday’s parliamentary session would be called off because of the disaster.
Mr Mazon urged people to stay at home so as not to complicate rescue efforts, with travel by road already difficult due to fallen trees and wrecked vehicles.
Spain’s central government set up a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.
The rain had subsided in Valencia by late Wednesday morning. But more storms were forecast through Thursday, according to Spain’s national weather service.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “For those who are looking for their loved ones, all of Spain feels your pain. Our priority is to help you. We are putting all the resources necessary so that we can recover from this tragedy.”
He added: “We mustn’t let our guard down because the weather front is still wreaking havoc and we can’t say that this devastating episode is over.”
Portuguese prime minister Luis Montenegro offered his “strongest condolences” and said his country is ready support Spain following the deadly floods.
“The Portuguese government expresses its strongest condolences over the high number of flood victims in Spain, shows solidarity with all the Spanish people and the government and makes itself available for all necessary help,” he said.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said “Italy is close to Spain in this terrible moment.” Germany’s foreign minister Annalena Baerbock also offered help to Spain. “Europe is standing together. Germany is ready to help in any way necessary,” Ms Baerbock said.
It is the worst flood-related catastrophe in Spain since 1996, when 87 people died and 180 were injured in a flash flood near Biesca in the Pyrenees.
Scientists say extreme weather events in the region are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Meteorologists think the warming of the Mediterranean, which increases water evaporation, plays a key role in making torrential rains more severe.
The UK’s Foreign Office provided an update to its travel advice to Spain. It said: “Severe weather and flooding is affecting many areas of Southern and Eastern Spain, particularly the Valencia region and Castilla La Mancha. Journeys may be affected.”