By JOSEPH WILSON, The Associated Press

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — At least 51 people have died in Spain the eastern region of Valencia After flash floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted railway lines and highways in the worst natural disaster to hit the European nation in recent memory.

Emergency services in the eastern region of Valencia confirmed the death toll on Wednesday.

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Tuesday’s storms caused flooding across a wide area of ​​southern and eastern Spain. Floods of mud-colored water swept vehicles down the streets at frightening speeds. Pieces of wood swirled with household items. Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from homes and cars.

Authorities reported several people missing on Tuesday night, but the next morning brought the shocking announcement that dozens of people had been found dead.

More than 1,000 soldiers from Spain’s emergency response units have been deployed to the devastated areas.

“Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Ricardo Gabaldón, the mayor of Utiel, a city in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE. He said several people are still missing in his town.

“We were caught like rats. Cars and garbage containers flowed through the streets. The water rose to three meters,” he said.

Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years, but nothing compared to the devastation of the past two days.

The death toll could easily rise with other regions yet to report casualties and search efforts continuing in hard-to-reach areas. In the village of Letur in the neighboring Castilla La Mancha region, Mayor Sergio Marín Sánchez said six people were missing.

“The neighborhood is destroyed, all the cars are on top of each other, it’s basically destroyed,” Christian Viena, a bar owner in the Valencian village of Barrio de la Torre, said by phone. “Everything is a complete wreck, everything is ready to be thrown away. The mud is almost a foot deep.”

Spain’s central government has set up a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.

The rain had subsided in Valencia by late Wednesday. But more storms were forecast until Thursday, according to Spain’s national weather service.

Spain is still recovering from a severe drought earlier this year. Scientists say it has increased episodes of extreme weather are probably related to climate change.