BARCELONA, Spain — Spanish authorities said on Wednesday that 51 people had died after floods swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and disrupted railway lines and highways.

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

Tuesday’s storms caused flooding across a wide area of ​​southern and eastern Spain. A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no one was injured. The high-speed train service between the city of Valencia and Madrid was suspended, as were several commuter lines.

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.

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

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

The storms were forecast to continue until Thursday, according to Spain’s national weather service.

Spain has experimented similar autumn storms in recent years. It is still recovering from a severe drought earlier this year. Scientists say increased episodes of extreme weather are probably related to climate change.