The death toll from flash flooding in Spain has risen to 158, according to local media, as rescue teams continue to search flood-ravaged homes and vehicles.
Communities in several regions of Spain are reeling from Tuesday's flooding, with authorities saying many more people are still unaccounted for.
The worst hit region was Valencia, where torrential rain flooded villages and left cars piled on top of each other in the streets.
Authorities coordinating the search confirmed the death toll had risen to 155 in Valencia alone, with a further three deaths in two other regions.
Flash flooding on Tuesday caught many residents by surprise, as a storm system dropped a year's worth of rain on some parts of the country on Tuesday.
In one village, rescue teams found the bodies of eight people trapped in a garage.
"Those people wouldn't have died if they had been warned in time," Laura Villaescusa, a neighbour and manager of a local supermarket, told Reuters.
Defence Minister Margarita Robles said the final national death toll would rise as the search continues.
Authorities have also arrested 39 people for looting.
Rescuers on Thursday were using helicopters to winch survivors to safety while diggers and tractors have been brought in to clear debris from streets.
Floodwaters have swept away bridges and could disrupt rail services in the country for days.
"Unfortunately there are dead bodies in some vehicles," Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente told Reuters.
Residents have described seeing people clambering onto the roofs of their cars as floodwaters rose.
In some communities, up to three metres of water was flowing through homes.
More flood warnings issued
The system which caused Tuesday's deluge in Valencia has now moved north, with the AEMET state weather agency issuing the highest level of alert to the province of Castellon.
While visiting a rescue coordination centre in Valencia, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez issued a warning to residents to stay home due to the alerts.
"Right now the most important thing is to safeguard as many lives as possible," he said.
The flooding which hit southern and eastern parts of Spain was triggered by the DANA weather phenomenon, which climate scientists say is becoming more frequent as the climate warms.
It is the worst flooding disaster in Europe since 2021, when 185 people were killed by flooding in Germany.
It is also Spain's deadliest flash floods in modern history.
Locals question lack of warnings before disaster
Amid the destruction, questions have been raised about why so many residents were caught off guard by the flooding.
Andreu Salom, mayor of the Valencian village of L'Alcudia, told local media residents in his community had no warning that a nearby river was about to burst its banks.
"I myself was on my way to check the river level because I had no information," Salom said.
"I went with the local police but we had to turn back because a tsunami of water, mud, reeds and dirt was already entering the town."
Another resident in Valencia said she only received a flood warning after water had already risen above the ground floor of her home.
Valencia regional President Carlos Mazón defended his administration’s management of the crisis, saying "all our supervisors followed the standard protocol".
Reuters/AP/AFP
