Flooding from excessive rainfall killed 95 people in Spain according to Wednesday reports from the Associated Press.
The storms started on Tuesday, triggering tornadoes and hail and upending travel out of the impacted areas. Flights were canceled, roadways were inundated and a high speed train with 300 passengers derailed.
Malaga and Valencia, cities in southeastern Spain, caught the brunt of the damage with residents experiencing flash floods that rose above eight feet. Water poured into the streets, sweeping cars and people away in its undercurrents.
Airports resumed flights on Wednesday but the transport ministry said it could take up to four days to restore train service amid power outages.
“We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to 3 meters (9.8 feet),” Ricardo Gabaldón, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE on Wednesday.
The city lost six residents, adding to the total death toll. Over 30 people died in the neighboring town of Paiporta, including six senior citizens who were trapped by the floods.
Spain has deployed its emergency response teams to conduct search and rescues as families send out messages on social media looking for their loved ones.
“The fact that we can’t give a number of the missing persons indicates the magnitude of the tragedy,” Ángel Víctor Torres, minister of territory policies, told AP.
Spain has never been subject to the level of flooding it experienced over the past few days. However, the country traditionally faces storms during this time of year.
Experts say the most recent natural disaster in the region with this level of impact would be the 2021 floods in Belgium and Germany that claimed the lives of 230 people.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
