Devastating floods in Spain leave many dead, wreak havoc on infrastructure and agriculture

Heavy downpour lasting eight hours in eastern Spain on Tuesday, caused serious flooding throughout the region from Malaga to Valencia. Muddy waters crashed through streets sweeping away cars and debris. (AP Photo)

Police forces and rescue teams accompanied by helicopters and rubber dinghies conducted operations to rescue residents and drivers trapped in their vehicles. (AP Photo)

More than 1,000 troops from the emergency units of Spain have been sent to the region, as well as more rescue equipment from other parts of the country. (AP Photo)

The flood had severely damaged infrastructure in Valencia, destroying bridges, roads, and rail tracks, and flooded farmlands in a major agricultural area. In this photo, a man stands among the flooded cars piled up in Valencia, Spain. (AP Photo)

The affected region accounts for about two-thirds of Spain's citrus production, including oranges, whose devastation may ultimately impact the global trade of citrus products from Spain. (AP Photo)

By Thursday, 158 people were confirmed dead, with others still missing. This counts among Europe's deadliest storms in more than 50 years. (AP Photo)

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged people to stay indoors as he visited a rescue center near Valencia, amid continued threats of more stormy weather. (AP Photo)

Opposition politicians criticized the central government for delayed actions in issuing warnings and deploying rescue teams, while the Interior Ministry insisted that civil protection measures are the responsibility of regional authorities. (AP Photo)

Thousands of people filled the warehouses to buy water and toilet paper, while others filed across a pedestrian bridge for the city center. (AP Photo)

Residents began cleaning up operations Thursday as they cleaned out muck using water pumps and tractors while ruined appliances and furniture littered the streets. (AP Photo)

According to Climate Central, human-caused climate change had made such events up to 300 times more likely by aggravating a low-pressure system tapping into an "atmospheric river" of moisture from the warm Tropical Atlantic. (AP Photo)