BBC Strictly's Gorka Marquez makes emotional statement on flash floods in Spain

Valencia. The city where I lived when I was 16 and to which I owe a lot...my heart goes out to all those affected."

Taking to Instagram, he re-shared an image showing the extent of the flooding and added the caption

Friederike Ottoimperial College of London climate scientist

No doubt about it, these explosive downpours were intensified by climate change,

said Dr Friederike Otto, leader of world weather attribution at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London

Just after 8pm, after an hour with water up to my neck and swallowing mud, the alert went off,

he said

Instability will continue in the Mediterranean area, with probable showers and storms that would affect the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community and Catalonia during the weekend and that could be locally strong and persistent.”

Aemet added

Pedro Sánchezprime Minister

For those who at this moment are still looking for their loved ones, the whole of Spain weeps with you."

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez promised to rebuild infrastructure that had been destroyed and said in a televised address

Events of this type, which used to occur many decades apart, are now becoming more frequent and their destructive capacity is greater,

said Ernesto Rodriguez Camino, senior state meteorologist and a member of the Spanish Meteorological Association

(The ... The floodwaters) took away lots of dogs, lots of horses, they took away everything,

said Antonio Carmona, a construction worker and resident of Alora in the southern region

It's a river that came through,

said Denis Hlavaty, who waited for rescue on a ledge in the petrol station where he works in the regional capital

This shows the tremendous magnitude of this tragedy,

he said

Climate change is decisive in the magnitude of this natural disaster,

geologist Joan Escuer said on Spanish radio

Before the battery ran out on their cellphones, around 4 a.m., they told me that they were spending the night on the roof because the house itself was completely flooded,

Crespo said

Hannah Clokeprofessor

We can see that something’s gone wrong because so many people have died,

said Hannah Cloke, a professor of hydrology at the University of Reading

It was a giant monster of a storm … we knew beforehand that there was going to be heavy rainfall, but these warnings did not reach the people on the ground [in a timely manner],

Cloke added

We can’t led our guard down,

AEMET spokesperson Rubén del Campo said

It is the regional governments in Spain who handle the warning systems and hold the authority to send alerts to citizens’ mobile phones to restrict mobility when necessary … Why this considerable delay in sending alert messages to mobile phones, advising against traveling or going to workplaces? We don’t know,

said the official, who was granted anonymity to speak about the politically explosive matter

There are political responsibilities behind this tragedy,

said Republican Left of Catalonia lawmaker Gabriel Rufian

Preparedness must become part of the underlying logic of all our actions,

she declared, after beginning her speech with a promise to help Spain with the floods

This is the dramatic reality of climate change. And we must prepare to deal with it,

she said

He was very lucky” to escape before the waters rose further

she said

Severe weather and flooding is affecting many areas of Southern and Eastern Spain, particularly the Valencia region and Castilla La Mancha. Journeys may be affected. Check the latest weather warnings from Spain’s meteorological office before you travel and follow instructions from local authorities."

The full advice on the floods read