In the last few days, Spain was hit by heavy rains and hailstorms that caused severe floods, mudslides and widespread destruction.
Heavy rain on Monday and Tuesday triggered flash floods, with more than a month’s worth of rain falling in less than 24 hours.
52 people died and many others are missing as a result of the flooding in eastern Spain, as reported by the New York Times.
Videos on social media showed bridges collapsing and vehicles being swept away by the powerful current. Spanish citizens were also seen holding on to trees in an attempt to prevent being swept away by the strong water currents.
According to reports from Spain, last night (Tuesday) many people called rescue services, including people who were besieged by the storm and others who were wondering about the whereabouts of their loved ones after they did not make contact.
There are still many people who are missing, especially in the town of "Lator" where rescue forces are working with drones to locate missing persons or bodies.
The storm that hit the Valencia region led the authorities to declare a state of emergency.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a post on X that he was following reports of missing people "with concern." The Prime Minister called on citizens not to leave their homes if it is not necessary.
The governor of the Valencia region confirmed that several bodies were found in the area after the floods. "Unfortunately, we can confirm that some bodies have already been found, but out of respect for the families, we are not going to give any more details," he said.
More than 1,000 soldiers from an emergency response team have been deployed, and authorities in Valencia said there was a dedicated phone line for reporting missing people.
According to weather forecasters, the storm was moving toward the north and northwest of Spain, and they expect the rain to continue until tomorrow (Thursday) at the very least.
Kikar Shabbat and the New York Times contributed to this article.
