At least 13 people have died in heavy rainfall that has 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 mobile phones and broadcast on Spanish television show rushing water washing away cars and flooding buildings.
In some areas, the amount of rain that fell in 24 hours usually falls over a month, Spanish media reported.
The torrential rains were caused by a cold front moving across the southern and eastern part of the Iberian Peninsula. The sudden floods have already caused serious problems from the first hours, prompting authorities in the worst-hit areas to urge people to stay at home and avoid any non-essential movement until further notice.
At least 13 dead
According to state-run TVE channel, police said at least 13 people had been killed in the floods. Four children have died in the Valencia area, while 6 people are still missing.
A few hours earlier, the head of local authorities in the Valencia region said authorities in southeastern Spain had found “corpses.”
“They were found dead, but out of respect for the families, we will not give more details,”
Carlos Mathon said.
Last night, local authorities said at least seven people were missing: six in the town of Letur, in the province of Albatete, in the Castile-La Mancha region, and another – a truck driver – in the town of Alcudia, in the Valencia region.
“I am informed with concern about reports of missing persons and damage caused by the storm in the last few hours,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said via X, also urging citizens to follow the instructions of the authorities. “A lot of caution and avoid unnecessary travel,” he said.
Cancellations to timetables
Water flooded the town of Letur, in the region of Albatete, washing away cars, footage broadcast on Spanish television showed. Mayor Sergio Marin Sanchez said rescue services were looking for “three or four people” who were missing.
Due to the bad weather and its aftermath, the national railway company Adif has suspended high-speed train services between Madrid and Valencia. One such high-speed train, carrying 276 passengers, derailed in the Andalusia region, but no one was injured.
Rescue services even used helicopters to evacuate dozens of people from Alora, Andalusia, after a river overflowed.
Twelve flights due to land at Valencia airport were diverted to other Spanish cities because of heavy rain and strong winds, Spanish airport management company Aena said. Another 10 flights due to depart or arrive at the airport were cancelled.
