At least 13 people, including four children, have died as heavy rains hit much of eastern and southern Spain yesterday, Tuesday, flooding roads with water and mud and causing problems for rail and air travel.
Images captured by residents on their cellphones and broadcast by Spanish television show rushing waters sweeping away cars and flooding buildings.
In some areas, the amount of rain that fell in a 24-hour period usually falls over a month, Spanish media reported.
The torrential rains were caused by a cold front moving along the southern and eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The flash floods already caused serious problems in the first hours, forcing the authorities in the areas most affected to urge citizens to stay at home and avoid any non-essential travel until further notice.
At least 13 dead
According to the state channel TVE, the police spoke of at least 13 dead from the floods. In the Valencia area, 4 children have died, while 6 people are still missing.
A few hours earlier, the head of local authorities in the Valencia region reported that authorities in southeastern Spain had found "bodies."
"They were found dead, but out of respect for the families, we won't give any more details," Carlos Mathon said.
Last night, local authorities reported at least seven people missing: six in the city of Letur, in the province of Albacete, in the Castile-La Mancha region, and another - a truck driver - in the city of Alcudia, in the Valencia region.
"I am informed with concern about the information about missing people and damage caused by the storm in the last hours," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said via X, also calling on citizens to follow the instructions of the authorities. "Be very careful and avoid useless movements," he stressed.
Vacations on itineraries
The waters engulfed the town of Letur, in the Albacete region, sweeping away cars, according to footage broadcast by Spanish television. Mayor Sergio Marin Sanchez said rescue services were looking for "three or four people" who were missing.
Due to the bad weather and its consequences, the national railway company Adif suspended high-speed train services between Madrid and Valencia. One such high-speed train, with 276 passengers, derailed in the region of Andalusia, but no one was injured.
Rescue services even airlifted dozens of people from Alora, Andalusia, after a river overflowed its banks.
Twelve flights due to land at Valencia airport were diverted to other cities in Spain due to heavy rain and strong winds, Spanish airport operator Aena said. Another 10 flights scheduled to depart or arrive at the airport were cancelled.
Source: protothema.gr
