Spanish floods kill 95 as year of rain falls in a day in Valencia

LA ALCUDIA, Spain - At least 95 people have been killed in possibly the deadliest flooding to hit Spain in its modern history after torrential rain battered the eastern region of Valencia, sweeping away bridges and buildings, the local authorities said on Oct 30.

Meteorologists said a year's worth of rain had fallen in eight hours in parts of Valencia on Oct 29, causing pile-ups on highways and submerging farmland in a region that produces two-thirds of the citrus fruit grown in Spain, a leading global exporter.

Residents in the worst-hit places described seeing people clambering onto the roofs of their cars as a churning tide of brown water gushed through the streets, uprooting trees and dragging away chunks of masonry from buildings.