Spanish Cup matches postponed for severe flash floods

ISTANBUL

The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) postponed several Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup) matches Wednesday after the flash floods hit the Valencia region.

"Due to the inclement weather caused by storm DANA that has hit part of our country in the last few hours, the fixtures scheduled for the next few hours in the First Knockout Round of the Spanish Copa del Rey Cup may be affected," RFEF said in a statement.

Valencia's road game against the sixth-division club Parla Escuela had originally been scheduled for Wednesday in Parla, which is 24 kilometers (15 miles) from Madrid. But it will take place on Nov. 6.

"Specifically, a judge responsible for the competition has decided to postpone the match Parla Escuela - Valencia, initially scheduled for 21:00 on Wednesday at Campo Las Americas in the town of Parla, Madrid," it added.

The Ejea versus Hercules de Alicante, Xerez against Ceuta, as well as Pontevedra going up against Levante, initially set for later Wednesday, have also been postponed. The matches have been rescheduled for Nov. 6-7.

And Getafe's game against Manises has been postponed until further notice.

The postponements come after an excruciating night of devastating floods, caused by the worst storm of the century, which is comparable only to two in the 1980s, according to Spain's meteorology agency.

The storm began Tuesday, dropping a year’s worth of rain in hours, causing rivers to quickly burst their banks and even spawning tornadoes.

Search and rescue efforts continued in Spain on Thursday after an unprecedented storm killed at least 158 people and caused widespread destruction.

At least 155 people lost their lives in Valencia, the hardest-hit region, according to the region's government. But deaths have also been reported in the provinces of Cuenca, Albacete, and Malaga.​​​​​​​