Historic flash flooding in Spain has decimated coastal cities and killed at least 158 people, including 155 from one region alone, in one of the country’s deadliest natural disasters in living history.

A two-day rainstorm transformed dozens of Spanish streets into roaring rivers with cars piled up like Matchbox toys across the eastern coast of Spain. 

Officials confirmed that 155 people were killed in Valencia, the hardest hit region, with rescue workers still looking for the bodies and for people who are still missing.   

“Our priority is to find the victims and the missing so we can help end the suffering of their families,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said as he declared three official days of mourning on Thursday.

The widespread damage and debris littered across the streets along the coast resemble the aftermath of a hurricane or tsunami, with local residents recalling the horror of watching people and cars devoured by the flood waters. 

Luis Sánchez, a local welder, said he watched the V-31 highway south of Valencia transform into a graveyard as he struggled to save himself and others in the chaos. 

“I saw bodies floating past. I called out but nothing,” Sánchez said.  

“The firefighters took the elderly first, when they could get in. I am from nearby so I tried to help and rescue people,” he added. “People were crying all over, they were trapped.”

With the rain moving south on Thursday, many of the vehicles swept up by the storm have washed up on busy streets, creating a river of wrecked cars blocking the roadways. 

Óscar Puente, Spain’s Transport Minister, confirmed that several of the dead are still trapped inside their vehicles. 

Regional authorities added that at least 70 people had to be saved from the roofs of flooded homes and cars via helicopters on Wednesday. 

The city of Paiporta, which houses just 25,000 people, was the hardest hit community in the region, with Mayor Maribel Albalta confirming the death of 62 people, including many seniors who rushed to try to get to their cars in the town center.   

As of Wednesday night, Spain’s emergency rescue units recovered 22 bodies and rescued 110 people, officials said. 

About 75,000 in Valencia are still without power, with many in the region’s southwest also losing water after a high-speed train derailed on Tuesday night. 

Officials said it would take two to three weeks to repair services to the high-speed train services due to the devastation. 

The horrific situation was compounded by looting in the affected areas, with the National Police arresting 39 people on Wednesday. 

The Civil Guard was also deployed to prevent looting from homes, cars and shopping malls across Valencia and its affected communities. 

The Valencia government is also facing backlash over the alleged late response to the disaster, with the government not sending out flood warning to people until 8 p.m. on Tuesday, when the flooding was already underway. 

Andreu Salom, mayor of the Valencian village of L’Alcudia, told local RTVE he received no prior warning from officials and nearly became a victim himself when he and local police went to access the flooding near the Margo River. 

Valencia regional President Carlos Mazón denied the allegations and claimed his team “followed the standard protocol.” 

With Post wires