The death toll from the severe flash floods in eastern Spain reached 158 on Thursday, with rescue teams still searching for many missing individuals, potentially marking Europe’s worst storm-related disaster in over fifty years.

Angel Victor Torres, the minister responsible for cooperation with Spain’s regions, reported at a press conference that in addition to the confirmed fatalities, there are many more individuals unaccounted for. On Tuesday, parts of the Valencia region experienced a year’s worth of rainfall within just eight hours.

This disaster is already the deadliest flood-related incident in modern Spanish history, and meteorologists indicate that climate change driven by human activity is leading to more frequent and severe extreme weather events.

In previous instances, heavy flooding in Germany resulted in at least 185 deaths in 2021, while 209 fatalities were recorded in Romania in 1970, and nearly 500 people died in floods in Portugal in 1967.

On Thursday, rescue teams found the bodies of eight individuals, including a local police officer who had been trapped in a garage near Valencia, as reported by Mayor Maria Jose Catala. A 45-year-old woman was also discovered dead in her home in the same neighborhood, La Torre.

Thousands of residents were seen on Thursday crossing a pedestrian bridge over the Turia River to reach Valencia city center, where they stocked up on essential supplies like toilet paper and water.

Opposition leaders criticized the central government in Madrid for their slow response in warning residents and deploying rescue teams, leading the Interior Ministry to state that regional authorities are responsible for civil protection measures.

Laura Villaescusa, a local supermarket manager, expressed frustration, stating, “Those people wouldn’t have died if they had been warned in time.” Maribel Albalat, the mayor of nearby Paiporta, reported that residents were not alerted to the impending flood danger, resulting in 62 deaths in her town. She recounted finding many elderly individuals in their homes and others who had gone to retrieve their cars, describing the situation as a trap.

In Godelleta, located 37 km (23 miles) west of Valencia, Antonio Molina, 52, recounted how he survived by clinging to a neighbor’s porch pillar as the water rose to his neck. Having experienced significant flooding in his home during 2018 and 2020, he criticized authorities for allowing residential development in areas prone to flooding. “We don’t want to live here anymore,” he said tearfully, adding that they constantly monitor the weather for rain.

The floods have severely impacted Valencia’s infrastructure, destroying bridges, roads, and rail tracks while inundating farmland in a region that produces about two-thirds of Spain’s citrus exports, such as oranges. Transport Minister Oscar Puente reported that around 80 km (50 miles) of roads were heavily damaged or impassable, often blocked by abandoned vehicles. He noted, “Unfortunately, there are dead bodies in some vehicles,” and warned that it could take two to three weeks to restore high-speed train service between Valencia and Madrid.

While visiting a rescue coordination center near Valencia, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged residents to stay home due to the risk of more severe weather. “Right now, the most important thing is to safeguard as many lives as possible,” he stated.

In the rural town of Utiel, approximately 85 km (53 miles) inland, the Magro River overflowed, flooding single-storey homes with up to three meters (9.8 feet) of water. Mayor Ricardo Gabaldon reported at least six deaths in the town of around 12,000 residents, primarily among the elderly or disabled who couldn’t escape.

Residents began cleanup efforts on Thursday, using water pumps mounted on tractors while children helped clear sidewalks. Ruined appliances and furniture cluttered the streets, and elderly individuals struggled to navigate the slippery, muddy terrain.

Pope Francis expressed his support for the affected region, stating in a video posted on X, “I’m close to them in this moment of catastrophe.”

A report released by the research group Climate Central on Thursday indicated that a low-pressure system behind the floods had tapped into an “atmospheric river” transporting excess moisture from the unusually warm Tropical Atlantic. The Climate Shift Index suggested that human-caused climate change has significantly increased the likelihood of elevated sea surface temperatures contributing to this event.