BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — At least 63 people died in eastern Spain as floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted railways and highways in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent history.

Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed 62 deaths on Wednesday. The central government office for the Castilla La Mancha region added that an 88-year-old woman was found dead in the city of Cuenca.

Rain on Tuesday caused flooding across large parts of southern and eastern Spain, stretching from Malaga to Valencia. While the mud-coloured waters were dragging vehicles onto the streets at high speeds, pieces of wood along with household items were spinning in the water. Police and rescue teams used helicopters to get people out of their homes and rubber boats to reach drivers trapped on the roofs of cars.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said dozens of towns were flooded.

“For those searching for their loved ones, all of Spain feels your pain,” Sánchez said in a televised speech. “Our priority is to help you. We are mobilizing all necessary resources to recover from this tragedy.”

People, some with their belongings, walk through flooded streets in Valencia on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/ALberto Saiz

Authorities reported scores of people missing late Tuesday, but the shocking announcement came the next morning that dozens had been found dead.

“Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Ricardo Gabaldón, mayor of the Valencian town of Utiel, told national broadcaster RTVE. He said several people were still missing in his town.

“We were trapped like mice. Cars and garbage containers were flowing through the streets. The water rose up to 3 meters,” he said.

More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units were deployed to devastated areas. Rescue services were also heading east from other parts of Spain. Spain’s central government established a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.

An elderly couple was rescued from the upper floor of their house by a military unit using a bulldozer, and they were accompanied by three soldiers with a giant shovel.

Television reports showed videos taken by panicked residents documenting how water inundated the ground floors of apartment buildings, burst the banks of streams and collapsed bridges.

Spain experienced similar autumn storms In recent years. But it’s nothing compared to the destruction reminiscent of the floods of the last two days in Germany and Belgium 2021 saw 230 people killed.

The death toll is likely to rise as victims in other regions have not yet been reported and searches continue in areas with difficult access.

In the village of Letur in the neighboring Castilla La Mancha region, Mayor Sergio Marín Sánchez said six people were missing.

Spain is still trying to recover from a serious drought and continues to break records high temperatures In recent years. Scientists say extreme weather events are increasing possibly linked to climate change.

The storms unleashed a rarely seen tornado as well as a strange hailstorm that blew holes in car windows and greenhouses.

Transportation was also affected. A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although railway officials said no one was injured. High-speed train service between the city of Valencia and Madrid was also disrupted, as was many suburban lines.

Valencia regional president Carlos Mazón urged people to stay at home, with road travel already difficult due to fallen trees and wrecked vehicles. Authorities warned that the danger did not end with the increase in rainfall.

As the water fell, the streets became covered with thick layers of mud.

“The neighborhood was destroyed, all the cars were on top of each other, literally torn to shreds,” Christian Viena, a bar owner in Valencia’s Barrio de la Torre village, said by phone. “Everything is a complete wreck, everything is ready to be thrown away. “The mud is almost 30 centimeters deep.”

Outside Viena’s bar, people were coming out to see what they could salvage. Cars were piled up on top of each other and the streets were filled with waterlogged branches.

Located on the Mediterranean coast south of Barcelona, ​​Valencia is a tourist destination known for its beaches, citrus groves and as the home of Spain’s paella pilaf.

Like some other parts of Spain, Valencia has gorges and small riverbeds that are completely dry most of the year but quickly fill with water when it rains. Many of them pass through residential areas.

By late Wednesday morning, the rain had stopped in Valencia. But more storms were expected through Thursday, according to Spain’s national weather service.

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Associated Press reporter Teresa Medrano in Madrid contributed to this report.

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