The Archbishop of Valencia expressed “great concern” and held a mass for those affected after fears that at least 63 people had died and many more were missing due to torrential rain that caused massive flooding in southeastern Spain.

The flooding turned streets into rivers of floating cars and cut off highways and access points, allowing water to reach the first floors of buildings.

Archbishop Enrique Benavent said Oct. 30 that he “hopes that the victims and missing people will be found safe and sound as soon as possible,” according to Spanish Catholic news agency Alfa y Omega.

The archbishop celebrated a mass for all those affected at a local basilica on the morning of October 30th.

According to the Washington Post, authorities have responded to rescue calls since October 28 in areas such as Cuenca, Albacete and the Valencia region, where helicopters were dispatched to pull people out of flooded homes and cars.

On the morning of October 30, the regional president of Valencia said it was too early to give a comprehensive death toll. “These are very difficult hours for the relatives and the disappeared,” said Carlos Mazón. “We will confirm the number of victims in the coming hours, but at the moment it is impossible to give an exact number. “We are in shock,” the Guardian reported.

“Yesterday was the worst day of my life,” Mayor Ricardo Gabaldón of Utiel, a town in the Valencia region, told national broadcaster RTVE. He said several people were still missing in his city. “We were trapped like rats. Cars and dumpsters streamed through the streets. The water rose to three meters,” he said.

The archbishop wrote that there is hope that a catastrophic flood “will pass as quickly as possible and residents of the most affected areas can return to normality.”

Benavent said that the parishes of his archdiocese will “work together in whatever is necessary so that people can regain hope of closeness and solidarity.”