Spain declares three days of mourning after deadliest floods in three decades

Spain has declared three days of mourning after the deadliest floods it's experienced in three decades.

Many people are now confirmed to have died in flash flooding, with more still missing.

The worst-hit area has been the province of Valencia; the BBC reports that in the town of Chiva, a year's worth of rain fell in just eight hours.

Gibraltarian Jason Goldwin is in the centre of the city of Valencia, which escaped the worst of the flooding, but has been surrounded by devastation.

Rivers bursting their banks and sweeping away bridges; roads flooded, with cars and people carried away; homes devastated, with desperate efforts to rescue those stranded.

In the smartphone age, we are confronted with images of destruction daily, whether man-made or caused by forces of nature.

But the tragedy is almost as close to home as it gets. 

Climate scientists have warned that the impact of extreme weather events such as torrential rains will only worsen with the climate crisis.

And, in the short term, with more bad weather across parts of Spain, its Premier urged people not to let down their guard, and to take special care.

Pedro Sanchez said Spain would be united in grief with those who have lost loved ones, and united in helping to rebuild the places destroyed by this tragedy.