Copa del Rey matches and other sporting events have been postponed after deadly floods devastated southern Spain

VALENCIA, Spain (AP) — Copa del Rey matches between Valencia and Levante have been postponed after floods that killed more than 60 people and caused devastating damage in southern Spain.

Other sporting events were also affected by Tuesday's flash floods, which swept away cars, turned village streets into rivers and shut down railways and highways – the worst natural disaster to hit the European country in recent memory.

Clubs, soccer stars and other athletes – including Vinícius Júnior, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Diego Simeone and Thibaut Courtois – were quick to post messages of support on social media.

“Real Madrid is deeply saddened and expresses its solidarity with all the people affected by this disaster, to whom it expresses its full support and condolences,” the club said.

Both Madrid and Barcelona observed a minute's silence before their training sessions on Wednesday.

Valencia were scheduled to play Parla Escuela in the first round of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, while Levante were scheduled to visit Pontevedra.

Other midweek Copa games could also be canceled and Saturday's league game between Valencia and Madrid could also be postponed to another date.

The MotoGP race in Valencia in two weeks was also in doubt after reports of severe damage from the floods at the Circuito Ricardo Tormo.

Some basketball games also had to be postponed as travel across Spain was affected.

Rainstorms caused flooding across much of southern and eastern Spain, stretching from Malaga to Valencia. Mud-colored floods sent vehicles tumbling through the streets at high speeds, while pieces of wood mixed with household items swirled in the water. Police and emergency services used helicopters to lift people from their homes and inflatable boats to reach motorists trapped on car roofs.

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