BARCELONA, Spain – On Wednesday, Spanish officials confirmed that numerous individuals were affected after flash floods inundated areas, sweeping away vehicles and transforming village streets into torrents while disrupting transportation networks.

Carlos Mazón, the regional president of Valencia, noted that it remains premature to ascertain the exact death toll, as many individuals are still unaccounted for.

Mazón’s comments came in the wake of a report from Spanish public broadcaster RTVE, which indicated that 13 bodies had been located in Valencia as per information from the Civil Guard. However, the Civil Guard did not respond promptly to inquiries regarding this matter.

The torrential rainstorms that struck on Tuesday led to significant flooding across a broad region of southern and eastern Spain. In a concerning incident, a high-speed train carrying nearly 300 passengers derailed near Malaga, although officials stated that there were no reported injuries. Additionally, high-speed train services connecting Valencia to Madrid, as well as several regional commuter lines, faced disruptions.

According to Spain’s national meteorological agency, adverse weather conditions are anticipated to persist until Thursday.

Spain has been no stranger to similar intense autumn storms in recent years and is currently in the process of recovering from a severe drought experienced earlier in the year. Experts believe that the increasing frequency of extreme weather events may be associated with climate change.