More than 60 dead after torrential rain brings flash flooding to Spain

More than 62 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.

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On Wednesday morning, the regional government of Valencia, 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.

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.