Four people have been killed as torrential rainfall from Storm Adam, which started on Saturday, swept eastern Spain and triggered severe flooding, evacuations and shelter-in-place orders for tens of thousands of people, authorities said on Monday, according to Al Jazeera reporting by AFP and Reuters.

The storm dumped as much as 700 litres of rain (185 gallons) per square metre in 24 hours in some areas of the Valencia region. Floodwaters isolated several towns along the Mediterranean coast, swept away cars and submerged roads.

Al Jazeera reported the four deaths as: two people in the coastal resort of Oliva, a third at a beach in Sagunto, and a fourth who fell into a swollen stream in Catalonia.

Security forces carried out more than 400 rescues in the Valencia region, according to government representative Pilar Bernabe, and people stranded on rooftops were winched to safety amid widespread evacuations. DW reported more than 450 people had been left stranded on rooftops, in buildings or in cars.

On Monday morning, 800,000 residents were under shelter-in-place orders, reduced to 87,000 in eight municipalities by late afternoon. About 100 municipalities were ordered to remain indoors for several hours on Monday, and schools were closed and train services suspended in parts of the region. Most restrictions were lifted by early afternoon as conditions improved, the regional government said.

The storm also lashed the Balearic Islands and Catalonia. The flooding brought scenes reminiscent of the catastrophic flooding that killed more than 230 people in the Valencia region two years ago.

Sources: Al Jazeera (AFP and Reuters); DW; France 24.