MADRID (AP) – More than 50 people were evacuated on Monday from areas in northern Spain hit by record flooding following heavy rains and snowfall.

Spanish authorities have blamed the swelling of swollen rivers on the deaths of at least two people since Friday, and regions of Navarre and Aragon have remained subject to severe weather warnings.

In Novillas, a village of 520 inhabitants near the borders of the two regions, local authorities ordered the evacuation of 55 inhabitants as the Ebro overflowed. The river’s water level had swelled up to 8.5 meters (27 feet) in some areas, breaking a record set during flooding six years ago.

In the capital of the Aragon region, Zaragoza, authorities prepared for floodwaters to hit the city of 680,000 residents on Tuesday. Upstream, in Navarre, a region known for its market gardening, the inhabitants assessed their losses linked to the floods.

The combination of a severe multi-day storm and snowmelt caused a surge in the Ebro and its tributaries, Spain’s weather services said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday linked the flooding to the growing effects of climate change in the Iberian Peninsula.

He also announced that the Cabinet would issue a “disaster zone” declaration that frees up special emergency funds for areas affected by storms.

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