The Pope Expresses His Condolences To Flood Victims In Spain

Pope Francis has expressed his closeness to the people of Valencia affected by devastating floods which claimed nearly 100 lives.

"Archbishop Luis Arguello, dear brother, I want to express my closeness to the people of Valencia. May you, from Valladolid, make it known to them. the Pope said in a recorded message.

"I am close to them in this moment of catastrophe. I pray for them. May God bless them all."

Survivors of the worst natural disaster to hit Spain in this century are stunned by scenes of devastation after villages were wiped out by monstrous flash floods that killed at least 95 people.

The death toll is expected to rise as search efforts continued on Thursday with an unknown number still missing.

Spain's transport minister says dead bodies are in some of the hundreds of stranded vehicles.

Wrecked vehicles, tree branches, downed power lines and household items are mired in a layer of mud covering the streets of Utiel, just one of dozens of towns in the hard-hit region of Valencia, where 92 people died between late Tuesday and Wednesday morning.