At least 64 people have been killed in flash floods in eastern Spain’s Valencia region. Torrential rains yesterday led to flash floods that swept away cars, disrupted rail lines and highways, and left roads and towns under water. The death toll is expected to rise as search efforts continue, particularly in inaccessible areas. Spain’s central government has established a crisis committee to coordinate rescue operations. Emergency services in the region urged citizens to avoid all road travel and to follow further updates from official sources.

Spanish weather service AEMET reported that Chiva, in the Valencia region, recorded 491mm of rain in just eight hours on Tuesday—the equivalent to a year’s worth of rain. Trains to the cities of Madrid and Barcelona were cancelled due to the flooding, and schools and other services were suspended in the worst-hit areas.

More than 1000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units were deployed for relief and rescue operations.