Spain flood death toll passes 150 as country begins three days of mourning | Spain

The death toll from devastating floods in eastern Spain's Valencia region has risen to 155, authorities said, as the country began three days of national mourning and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged people to stay at home.

With more severe weather forecast triggering storm warnings further north, Sánchez urged residents Thursday to “please heed the calls of emergency services… Right now, the most important thing is to save as many lives as possible.”

Local authorities have not revealed how many people are still missing after Spain's deadliest floods in half a century, but Defense Minister Margarita Robles had previously said the death toll was expected to rise.

Flags flew at half-mast at government buildings and a minute's silence was observed across the country after floods destroyed Valencia's infrastructure, sweeping away bridges, roads and railway tracks and inundating farmland.

Rescue workers, along with more than 1,200 soldiers, combed through thick silt in mud-caked towns and villages to find survivors and clear roads of debris, while emergency workers used helicopters to ferry survivors to safety in still-flooded areas.

Meteorologists said a year's worth of rain fell in eight hours in parts of Valencia on Tuesday. Television footage showed excavators and tractors with water pumps clearing debris from streets littered with abandoned cars and vans.

King Felipe VI warned the emergency was “still not over” and national weather service Aemet placed parts of the Valencia region on the highest alert level for further torrential rain on Thursday.

Opposition politicians accused the central government of acting too slowly to warn residents to evacuate and send rescue teams, prompting Spain's Interior Ministry to say regional authorities were responsible for civil protection measures.

The regional president of Valencia, Carlos Mazón, defended his government's crisis management. “All of our supervisors followed standard protocol,” he said.

Reuters and Agence-France Presse contributed to this report