In photos: At least 95 people killed in flash flooding disaster in Spain ...

2 hours ago

ABC News

At least 95 people have been killed in what may be the deadliest flooding in modern Spanish history, as torrential rain battered the eastern region of Valencia, sweeping away bridges and buildings, local authorities said.

Meteorologists said a year's worth of rain had fallen in eight hours in parts of Valencia on Tuesday, local time, causing pile-ups on highways and submerging farmland in a region that produces two-thirds of the citrus fruit grown in Spain, a leading global exporter.

Residents in the worst-hit places described seeing people clambering onto the roofs of their cars as a churning tide of brown water gushed through the streets, uprooting trees and dragging away chunks of masonry from buildings.

A year of rainfall in a day

Spain's national weather service said it rained more in eight hours in Valencia than it had in the preceding 20 months, calling the deluge "extraordinary".

Emergency crew rescue residents after they were trapped in their homes due to flooding. (AP Photo: Alberto Saiz)

Emergency vehicles and cars marooned by flooding in Valencia. (AP Photo: Alberto Saiz)

A river flows under a partially collapsed bridge in the town of Carlet. (Reuters: Eva Manez)

A car lies partially submerged after floods in Utiel. (Reuters: Susana Vera)

"Yesterday was the worst day of my life," Ricardo Gabaldón, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE on Wednesday.

He said six residents died and more are missing.

"We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to 3 meters," he said.

Streets unrecognisable after storm

Rescue personnel and more than 1,100 soldiers from Spain's emergency response units were deployed to affected areas and the central government set up a crisis committee to coordinate rescue efforts.

As the floods receded, thick layers of mud mixed with refuse made some streets unrecognisable.

"It's a river that came through," said Denis Hlavaty, who waited for rescue on a ledge in the petrol station where he works in the regional capital.

"The doors were torn away and I spent the night there, surrounded by water that was 2 metres deep."

A woman looks out from her balcony at vehicles in the street. (AP Photo: Alberto Saiz)

Train tracks affected by floods in Paiporta, near Valencia. (AP Photo: Alberto Saiz)

Defence Minister Margarita Robles told Cadena Ser radio station that a military unit specialised in rescue operations would on Thursday start combing through the mud and debris with sniffer dogs in the worst-hit areas.

Asked if the number of victims was likely to increase, she said: "Unfortunately we are not optimistic."

The teams have brought with them 50 mobile morgues.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promised to rebuild infrastructure that has been destroyed and said in a televised address: "For those who at this moment are still looking for their loved ones, the whole of Spain weeps with you."

Members of the Spanish army and emergency services rescue people trapped in their homes after floods in Letur. (AP Photo: Europa Press)