We're scared' Devastation and despair at impact of downpours

Tuesday's dawn downpours may have been welcome when they began, but the gratitude was short-lived in Utiel.

- Sam Jones

When the longed-for rains finally reached the town in the drought-stricken eastern Spanish region of Valencia, they were merciless.

"People were very happy at first because they'd been praying for rain as their lands needed water," said Remedios, who owns a bar in Utiel. "But by 12 o'clock, this storm had really hit and we were all pretty terrified."

Trapped in the bar, she and a handful of her customers could only sit and watch as Spain's worst flooding in almost 30 years caused the Magro River to overflow its banks, trapping some residents in their homes and sending cars and other objects surging through the streets on muddy flood waters.

"The rising waters brought mud and stones with them and they were so strong that they broke the surface of the road," said Remedios. "The tunnel that leads into the town was half full of mud, trees were down and there were cars and rubbish containers rolling down the streets. My outside terrace has been destroyed - the chairs and shades were all swept away. It's just a disaster."

Utiel's mayor, Ricardo Gabaldón, told Las Provincias newspaper that some of the town's residents had not survived the floods, but was unable to provide an exact number.