At least 52 people have died in devastating flash flooding in southern and eastern Spain, the country’s authorities said on Wednesday morning. Torrential rain caused flooding across a large area of the country, including the cities of Valencia and Malaga, on Tuesday.

Climate change helps explains why the storms and floods were so extreme. But questions have emerged about whether communication failures contributed to the toll.

Spain’s worst flood in decades is a social disaster driven by the ruling elite’s inability to plan policies to halt climate change, or even to devise basic disaster management plans advocated by scientists.

In response, the Catholic Church has expressed its pain and condolences over the tragedy and Caritas has launched a special campaign. The flash flooding is considered the third largest natural disaster in Spain’s contemporary history,

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, called for unity, solidarity and vigilance at the time of crisis after 95 people lost their lives in the deadly floods that rocked the European nation

The search for the dead and missing continues, more than a week since the Oct. 29 floods hit — as well as a gargantuan cleanup and recovery effort. Here’s a look at Spain’s deadliest natural disaster of the century,

In Spain, heavy rainfall continues to cause significant damage. Last night in Catalonia, a river overflowed, sweeping away parked cars. The footage has surfaced online. Warnings for heavy rain in Spain have been issued for areas in northeastern Catalonia,