We have heard from local residents in Sedavi, in Valencia, where roads are blocked by mud and stacked vehicles.

Eliú Sánchez says at one point he saw a young man being swept into the water: “He was on top of a car, it looked like he was trying to jump into another car but he was carried away.

“I have been told that people were clinging to trees, but the force made them let go and they were carried away crying for help”.

Another resident, Julian Ormeño, says he doesn’t think authorities have done enough to help.

“I haven’t seen the police, not the mayor or anyone else – nobody has come to show their face,” he says. “They sounded the alarm when the water was already here. It was no longer necessary for them to tell us that the flood was coming.”

• For context: There has been some anger from locals and officials that the flood warnings came too late. The flooding hit Valencia and southern Spain overnight on Wednesday after heavy rains.