At least 205 people have been killed after historic flash floods ravaged Spain this week due to heavy rainfall, according to local emergency services. Officials expect that number to continue to rise as emergency services have still not been able to reach some areas as piled-up cars and flood debris have blocked roads.
Another 500 troops, in addition to the 1,200 already on the ground, have been deployed by the Spanish government to help survivors and search for people still missing.
On Tuesday night, a year’s worth of rain fell in the space of eight hours, causing rivers to burst their banks. It is Spain’s worst flood disaster in modern history, and Europe’s deadliest since the 1970s, when 209 people died in Romania due to catastrophic flooding.
The floods swept away vehicles, caused bridges to collapse and covered towns in the Valencia region with thick, dense mud.
A woman walks past piled-up cars after flooding in Massanassa, just outside Valencia, on Friday. (Alberto Saiz/AP)
Cars line the streets along with other debris after flash floods hit the Valencia region. (David Ramos/Getty Images)
A boy helps clear mud from the streets after flooding in Massanassa on Friday. (Alberto Saiz/AP)
A man sweeps past piled-up cars in Massanassa on Friday. (Alberto Saiz/AP)
A woman rests as residents and volunteers clear an area affected by flooding in Paiporta, near Valencia, on Friday. (Alberto Saiz/AP)
A man carries household appliances out of a building in Massanassa on Friday. (Alberto Saiz/AP)
In the city of Massanassa, people pick up mud from the streets on Friday. (Jose Jordan/AFP via Getty Images)
Water and other supplies are being shared on the streets on Friday after floods devastated the town of Paiporta in eastern Spain. (Manaure Quintero/AFP)
A woman at the entrance to her home Friday in Paiporta. (Jose Jordan/AFP via Getty Images)
Volunteers load a vehicle with supplies to be distributed to areas affected by the floods in Valencia on Friday. (Eva Manez/Reuters)
A woman walks through a muddy street on Friday after the devastating effects of flooding in the city of Paiporta. (Manaure Quintero/AFP)
