BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — At least 51 people died in Spain’s eastern Valencia region as floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted railway lines and highways in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory. .

Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed the death toll on Wednesday.

Rain on Tuesday caused floods across large parts of southern and eastern Spain. Mud-coloured floods swept vehicles into the streets at frightening speeds. The pieces of wood were filled with household items. Police and rescue teams used helicopters to rescue people from their homes and cars.

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

More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units were deployed to devastated areas.

“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.

Spain experienced similar autumn storms in recent years, but it is nothing compared to the devastation of the last two days.

The death toll could easily rise in other regions as victims 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.

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 so as not to complicate rescue efforts, in an environment where road travel is already difficult due to fallen trees and wrecked vehicles.

“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 in. The mud is almost 30 centimeters deep.”

Spain’s central government established a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.

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

Spain is still recovering from the effects of a severe drought earlier this year. Scientists say extreme weather events are increasing possibly linked to climate change.

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