About a thousand soldiers from emergency units have been sent to the affected areas in Spain.
And the death toll is expected to rise after one of the worst natural disasters to hit the country in recent years.
– Yesterday was the worst day of my life. We were trapped like rats, says Ricardo Gabaldón, mayor of Utiel in Valencia.
Floods in Spain turned village streets into rivers, destroyed homes and killed at least 95 people in the worst natural disaster to hit the country in decades – with the death toll expected to rise. Eyewitnesses liken the devastation to a tsunami.
– Some held on to trees but the strong currents carried them away while they called for help, says eyewitness Eliú Sánches in Sedavi in Valencia, to TV4 Nyheterna.
Close to 100 dead
Several children were among the dead. Spain has announced three days of national mourning, according to the government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Wednesday evening that it had no information on Swedish casualties in the Spanish regions.
Via social media, stranded people asked for help.
“There is a dead man in my house. I need help,” writes a woman in the municipality of Benetússer on X, according to the Cadena Ser radio channel.
Prime Minister: “Feel your pain”
The downpour, which began on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, caused enough flooding that police and emergency services were forced to use helicopters to rescue people from their homes and rubber dinghies to reach drivers stranded in cars.
– Yesterday was the worst day of my life. We were trapped like rats. Cars and garbage containers floated in the streets. The water rose three meters, says Ricardo Gabaldón, mayor of Utiel in Valencia, to Spanish RTVE.
Late on Tuesday, Spain’s government established a crisis committee tasked with taking the necessary measures. In a televised speech, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised to use “all necessary resources” to help those affected.
– To those who are looking for their loved ones: all of Spain feels your pain, he says.