Valencia Reeling as Death Toll Rises

The confirmed death toll from Spain's worst flooding disaster in decades currently sits at 95, but authorities warn that number is likely to rise as dozens remain missing. That's the worst death toll from flooding since 1973, when floods killed 150, the BBC reports. Torrential rains Tuesday triggered the flash floods, which swept away bridges, cars, and buildings in the eastern province of Valencia and nearby areas. Spain's army was rescuing people Wednesday, winching some people to safety from rooftops. Some experts are blaming a "gota fria," when cold air descends upon warmer Mediterranean waters in the fall and winter, for the rain event.

"It was like a tsunami," one of many people who spoke to the BBC says of the sudden floods, which some say the government gave inadequate warning for. One motorist who was surprised by a flood recalls, "the speed of the water was insane," and "the pressure was tremendous. I managed to get out of the car and the water pushed me against a fence that I managed to grab on to, but I couldn't move. It wouldn't let me. It ripped my clothes off." The Guardian reports that before the situation turned deadly, some were cheering the rain, as the area has been struggling with drought. (More Spain stories.)