Latest floods in Spain: Desperate search for ‘many missing people’ – as death toll rises and heavy rain looms | World news

By Siobhan RobbinsEuropean correspondent

In the town of Algemesi, the floods are said to have come without warning.

Water flows down the street, taking with it thick, stinking mud that covers every surface in sight.

As we wade through the slippery mud, we encounter Bernardo, who tries to sweep him away from his house.

No matter how often he scrubs and cleans, the floors remain covered in dirt.

“The disaster is huge, I have never seen anything like it in my life,” he says.

He estimates there was nearly two meters of water in some homes.

Some residents in flood areas said the force of the water was “like a tsunami,” causing cars in the streets to roll over on top of each other.

Many of them now have no electricity after flooding entered the electrical system.

For most of the day, residents tried to repair the damage. But as we walk through the city, the snapshots are still visible.

Two dining room chairs stand in front of the house.

Their once elegant velvet pillows are now wet and discolored.

Next, huge pumps throw water out of people’s basements.

On another street, cars gather in a chaotic cluster – stuck where the water left them.

Bernardo shows us the video immediately after the event.

Cars stand on their hoods in the road as stunned residents look on at the scene.

He estimates that about half of the city’s vehicles were damaged.

This misery is not isolated to Algemesi – it is a pain that is repeated in communities across southeastern Spain.