Map of floods in Spain as Valencia hit by 'worst natural disaster in history' with more than 60 dead

Huge rain storms caused churning mud-coloured waters which have swept through areas, from Malaga down to Valencia on its east coast, causing at least 63 deaths

The regions hit worst by Spain's most devastating natural disaster in recent history have been revealed in a new map.

Flash floods lifted cars off the tarmac and turned entire communities into rivers and lakes as the European nation faces a terrifying onslaught of rain. Rain storms are mainly hitting two regions, with at least 63 people recorded dead in the eastern region of Valencia so far, which is home to Alicante on the Costa Blanca, a popular tourist resort among Brits.

Southern Spain has also been hit, with the area from Malaga to Valencia suffering floods of mud-coloured water causing vehicles to tumble along streets. New maps from Aemet, Spain's meteorological agency, show huge swathes of eastern and southern Spain currently under yellow warnings for rain.

In the east, the warnings cover dozens of towns, stretching from the Barcelona coastline on the Costa Blanca in the east, all the way to Soria in the west. The Barcelona coastline is one of the worst hit areas, where forecasters are predicting hail and as much as 40mm of rain per hour.

In the east, the stormiest areas include Seville and Cadiz, where as much as 80mm of rain is predicted. It comes after the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said dozens of towns had been flooded and warned that the danger is not over.

"For those who are looking for their loved ones, all of Spain feels your pain," Sanchez said in a televised address. "Our priority is to help you. We are putting all the resources necessary so that we can recover from this tragedy."

Authorities reported several missing people late Tuesday, but the following morning brought the shocking announcement of dozens found dead. "Yesterday was the worst day of my life," Ricardo Gabaldon, the mayor of Utiel, a town in Valencia, told national broadcaster RTVE.

He said several people were still missing in his town. "We were trapped like rats. Cars and trash containers were flowing down the streets. The water was rising to three meters," he said.

Over 1,000 soldiers from Spain's emergency response units were deployed to the devastated areas. Rescue services were also rushing eastwards from other parts of Spain. Spain's central government set up a crisis committee to help coordinate rescue efforts.

One elderly couple was rescued from the upper story of their house by a military unit using a bulldozer, with three soldiers accompanying them in the huge shovel. Television reports showed videos shot by panicked residents documenting waters flooding the ground floors of apartments, streams bursting their banks and bridges giving way.

Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years. Nothing, however, compared to the devastation over the last two days, which recalls floods in Germany and Belgium in 2021 that saw 230 people killed.

The death toll will likely rise with other regions yet to report victims and search efforts continuing in areas with difficult access. In the village of Letur in the neighboring Castilla La Mancha region, Mayor Sergio Marin Sanchez said six people were missing.

Spain is still recovering from a severe drought and continues to register record high temperatures in recent years. Scientists say increased episodes of extreme weather are likely linked to climate change. The storms unleashed a freak hailstorm which punched holes in car windows and greenhouses as well as a rarely seen tornado.

Transport was also impacted. A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no one was hurt. High-speed train service between Valencia city and Madrid was interrupted, as were commuter lines.