Most shocking moments from Spain's flood disaster caught on camera: Lorry is overturned in torrential downpour, woman is airlifted from deep water with her dog and bridge is swept away in apocalyptic scenes

The worst flash floods to strike eastern and southern Spain in recent memory have left at least 72 people dead after a years worth of rain fell in just eight hours, causing streams to burst their banks and leaving homes, roads and railways submerged.

The devastating storms turned streets into rivers and left hundreds trapped in their homes, with many forced to climb trees, scale lampposts and sprint desperately to the upper floors of buildings to escape. 

Entire towns were plunged underwater while partially submerged cars were piled up at awkward angles after the surge battered them into buildings.

Terrifying videos and pictures have emerged of the havoc caused by the rainstorms that started on Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, from muddy torrents turning sweeping people down streets turned rivers and vehicles being overturned by strong winds. 

One horrific clip shows the dramatic moment a lorry overturned while it drove down a wind-battered road in Carlet, near Valencia. 

Paiporta bridge in the town of the same name was left completely devastated as the river beneath burst its banks and continued to rise, battering the buttresses until the concrete structure crumbled into the deluge

The bridge completely folded into the river and was washed away

The unidentified victim could be heard screaming as the deluge pushed her down a waterlogged street in the chilling clip

A driver, filming from the inside of another lorry, can be heard saying: A hurricane, a hurricane! Look at that. The lorries in front of me have overturned. 

Another heart-pounding clip showed a woman battling desperately to stay afloat as she tried to save her dog from their flooded home. Rescuers just managed to reach her before her head slipped below the water and winched her to safety.

A third video revealed the moment flash flooding destroyed Paiporta bridge in the municipality of Valencia late last night as the river beneath overflowed and continued to rise, battering the buttresses until the concrete structure crumbled into the deluge. 

Horrified onlookers screamed as the bridge suddenly collapsed and folded itself into the surging waters.

Its streetlamps were seen flickering briefly before they were abruptly extinguished and lost beneath the raging floods. 

Meanwhile, a chilling clip revealed the moment a helpless woman was swept away by unstoppable flood waters in Valencia.

The unidentified victim could be heard screaming as the deluge pushed her down a waterlogged street. 

Horrified onlookers stood on balconies above stretched out their arms in a futile attempt to come to her rescue in the chilling clip.

For a moment it looked as though she was going to save herself by grabbing onto a lamppost - but the flood waters were too powerful and she was torn away from the pole before being swept away, her fate unknown.

Rescuers attempt to evacuate a woman and her dog from their flooded house

A woman is rescued with her dog

A video captured the moment a lorry overturned on the motorway due to strong winds 

Footage shows cars bobbing down the road as floods sweep across eastern and southern Spain

Elderly people were filmed sitting on wheelchairs as their care home flooded with water

Strong winds picked up debris 

A woman looks out from her balcony as vehicles are trapped in the street during flooding in Valencia, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

Shocking images showed how entire towns were plunged underwater while others showed dozens of cars smashed into one another at awkward angles

Residents look at cars piled up after being swept away by floods in Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

In the town of Massannassa on Valencias outskirts, heartbreaking footage shows elderly and sickly residents of a nursing home sat in wheelchairs as filthy floodwater pooled around their knees. 

A woman also shared a video of the inside of her flooded house, which shows her feet submerged, as her dogs splash around in a pool of water.

Video footage also showed cars bobbing in brown water as they were dragged down a stream, while another clip showed scores of cars piled up on top of each other on the roads. 

Other clips captured debris flying around after it was picked up by brutal winds. 

The death toll is expected to rise sharply as emergency services continue their searches for dozens of people said to be still unaccounted for in what is one of the nations worst-ever natural disasters.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez this morning sought to reassure victims that the government would not abandon them.

All of Spain weeps with all of you. Our absolute priority is to help you... We wont abandon you, Sanchez said in a televised address.

For those who at this moment are still looking for their loved ones, the whole of Spain weeps with you, Sanchez added, vowing to rebuild your streets, your squares, your bridges. 

Spains government announced the creation of a crisis committee - the equivalent of Britains Cobra emergency response committee - as the size of the disaster became apparent.

Defence Minister Margarita Robles said earlier this morning more than 1,000 members of the Military Emergencies Unit UME, a branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, had been mobilised to help with rescue efforts in Valencia province. 

The flooding caused horrific damage to many towns throughout Valencia

Firefighters work to clear debris after heavy rains caused flooding, in Letur, Spain, October 30, 2024

Rescuers and construction workers pick through the debris in search for bodies

Spains government announced the creation of a crisis committee - the equivalent of Britains Cobra emergency response committee

A resident walks next to a car lifted up in a street covered in mud in a flooded area in Picanya, near Valencia, eastern Spain, on October 30, 2024

Cars are photographed piled up after being swept away by floods in Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

A van is partially submerged in floodwater. Cars are seen being swept away by the surging flood

Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years, but nothing compared to the devastation over the last two days.

It is the worst flood-related catastrophe in Spain since 1996, when 87 people died and 180 were injured in a flash flood near Biesca in the Pyrenees.

The worst-hit areas are the province of Valencia where political leader Carlos Mazon first went public with news of several fatalities in the early hours of this morning and the small town of Letur in the province of Albacete where six people including two council workers are said to be missing after a river burst its banks.

Two Civil Guard officers are feared to be among the fatalities after becoming trapped in a flooded basement in their police station in Paiporta near the city of Valencia, the capital of the province of the same name.

Spains King Felipe VI said he was devastated by the floods and the rising death tolls. 

The royal palace wrote on X that the royal family was devastated by the latest news about the storm that has lashed eastern and southern Spain this week, offering our heartfelt condolences to families of the victims.

Cars are photographed piled up after being swept away by floods in Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

Pedestrians walk next to cars piled in a street covered in mud following floods in Picanya, near Valencia, eastern Spain, on October 30, 2024

Police confirmed they had recovered 13 bodies overnight in the province of Valencia, seen early this morning

A man cleans his house affected by floods in Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

Residents are pictured next to cars piled in a street covered in mud following floods in Picanya, near Valencia, eastern Spain, on October 30, 2024

Floods triggered by torrential rains in Spains eastern Valencia region has left 51 people dead, rescue services said on October 30

A woman is winched out of the floods by rescue services

Residents walk in a street covered in mud in a flooded area in Picanya, near Valencia, eastern Spain, on October 30, 2024

Family members walk in a street covered in mud in a flooded area in Picanya, near Valencia, eastern Spain, on October 30, 2024

Residents look at cars piled up after being swept away by floods in Valencia, Spain, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

Dozens of cars are seen adrift in the deluge

Images show the extent of the shocking flooding

The swollen River Guadalhorce in Alora near Malaga

A car drives past damaged items from a furniture factory affected by torrential rains that caused flooding in La Alcudia, Valencia region, Spain, October 30, 2024

A river flows under a partially collapsed bridge affected by torrential rains that caused flooding in the town of Carlet, Valencia region, Spain, October 30, 2024

The adverse weather is amongst the most extreme faced by the country in recent years

Men run next to a car covered with mud on a flooded street in Alora, near Malaga, on October 29, 2024, after a heavy rain hit southern Spain

People walk through flooded streets in Valencia, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

Footage shows several cars floating atop rapidly moving, soil-coloured water during the storm. The vehicles flush along the street and audibly bang into each other as they move

Cars are trapped by flooding in Valencia, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

People, some with their belongings, walk through flooded streets in Valencia, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024

Another clip posted online shows the storm turning the sky black as debris whips around in the sky amid blustery weather during a tornado

One of the videos posted online shows the horrific conditions on the road, with one driver catching the moment another vehicle was blown onto its side, as his own windscreen cracks

Raging flood waters turned roads into rivers in southern and eastern Spain today

A partially submerged vehicle after the Guadalhorce River burst its banks in Alora, Malaga

A man inspects the flood waters following the extreme storm in Catadau, Valencia, Spain

A car has been swept atop another in Llombai, Valencia, as heavy rainfall swept through

Vehicles were wholly or partially submerged in the flood waters in Alora, Spain on Tuesday

A man looks out in despair as the roads have been turned into rivers in the Valencia region

Twelve flights due to land at Valencia airport were diverted to other cities in Spain due to the heavy rain and strong winds, Spanish airport operator Aena said.

Another 10 flights which were due to depart or arrive at the airport were cancelled.

National rail infrastructure operator ADIF said it had suspended high-speed trains between Madrid and the eastern port of Valencia due to the effects of the storm on main points of the rail network in the Valencia region until at least 10am on Wednesday.

A high-speed train with 276 passengers derailed in the southern region of Andalusia, although no one was injured, the regional government said in a statement.

Emergency services rescued scores of people in Alora in Andalusia, some by helicopter, after a river overflowed.

State weather agency AEMET declared a red alert in the Valencia region and the second-highest level of alert in parts of Andalusia. 

Several roads were cut in both regions due to flooding.

Elsewhere, in the Spanish city of Almería cars have been destroyed by giant golf ball-sized hailstones that fell from the sky as a violent storm passed over last night. 

Trucks and a construction vehicle in the flood water on the western outskirts of Valencia, Spain

Torrents of rain caused heavy mud to flood into residences in Alora on Tuesday

Men walk through a flooded street in Alora, near Malaga, as the weather begins to clear

Vehicles became submerged in a car park in Llombai, Valencia after the flash floods

A man cleans the entrance of his home in Valencia, where 85.8 mm rain fell on Tuesday

The ferocious hailstorm caused havoc as it swept over the southern Spanish city which also suffered flooding from freak rainfall. 

Photos and videos shared to social media showed the large hailstones damaging car windshields and windows with severe dents and chips left in metal and paintwork. 

Other videos and pictures showed the aftermath of the storm, with one showing nearly a dozen large holes in the rear window of an Almería residents car. 

On top of the hail, the city was flooded, with 100mm of rain falling in 12 hours. At its heaviest, 30mm of rain fell in a single hour. 

Golfball-sized hailstones fell from the skies over Almería

The hail was accompanied by severe rain that left the city flooded

The hailstorms size and severity was the result of stormclouds that have been plaguing the region for days. 

Yesterday Dólar, in Granada, was inundated with 148 mm of rain, while Caravaca de la Cruz, in Murcia, had 104 mm pour down and Carcaixent, in Valencia, was hit with 85.8 mm. 

It comes just a few months after British holidaymakers hoping to leave behind the rain by heading to Spain were met with torrential downpours, hail, strong winds and flash floods.

Images from Costa Blanca showed submerged streets, overflowing rivers, and fast-moving water barrelling across dry fields before crashing onto highways in June. 

Hail stones fell in some parts of the Valencian community, which includes the provinces of Alicante and Valencia.

Further south in Murcia roads turned into raging torrents. 

In its capital city locals and tourists were pictured ankle-deep in water in its main street as they tried to negotiate their way past shops while others took refuge inside.

Elsewhere in the province cars were seen and wheelie bins were seen swimming down streets which looked more like rivers. Firefighters were said to be working tirelessly with roads closed in some places. 

Rear windows were smashed in by the hailstones

The streets of Almería were flooded following the heavy rain 

The metalwork of cars was left dented 

The extent of the damage to the city is not currently known 

By contrast, British holidaymakers on the Costa del Sol were today basking in glorious sunshine.

In Marbella, tourists were topping up their tans under blue skies in 26 degrees Celsius temperatures (78 degrees Fahrenheit).

It made a welcome break for those who had just flown in from the UK.

Office worker Sally Jones, 26, said: I was in desperate need of sunshine. The weathers been really gloomy back home.

Ive got friends who are on the Costa Blanca right now and are saying they wished theyd come on holiday with me instead.