Spain has been hit by a deluge that has devastated towns, left cars underwater and even prompted the UK Met Office to issue a weather warning of landslides, flash flooding and severe disruption to British tourists in the country.
The leader of the Valencia region said an unspecified number of bodies have been found in areas hit by flash flooding in the southeast of the country.
“Dead bodies have been found, but out of respect for the families, we are not going to provide any further data,” said the regional leader of Valencia Carlos Mazon.
Destinations popular with British holidaymakers including Málaga and Valencia in south and eastern Spain as well as the Balearic Islands were among the worst affected after torrential rain and strong winds from Storm Dana battered the country on Monday.
Aemet, Spain’s national weather agency, released a special advisory notice covering mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands, and forecasters warned that the extreme weather could last through to the end of the week.
The UK’s Met Office issued a rare weather alert for parts of eastern Spain, warning tourists that “flash flooding, landslides and significant disruption” were expected this week as the country continues to face torrential rain and thunderstorms.
“A further 250-350mm of rain is possible by the weekend in a few places – the average for the whole of October is closer to 50-100mm,” the Met Office’s update read.
Álora and Cártama outside Málaga in Spain’s south were the latest regions placed on a “red” alert on Tuesday after the Guadalhorce river surged following heavy rainfall, causing cars to float away.
Winds have also exceeded hurricane thresholds of 120km on the southern coast, where waves reached as high as five metres. Authorities on Tuesday raised the weather alert to red in the region, the highest warning on the scale.
Freak weather appeared overnight with electric storms over Málaga and its surrounding towns. Some 20,000 lightning bolts were recorded throughout the coastal city, forcing flight delays and road closures throughout Tuesday.
In Valencia, in Spain’s east, locals woke up to road closures and waterlogged rail lines after heavy rain worsened the flooding. Authorities deployed a helicopter to rescue drivers stranded in the rising waterways.
Valencia’s city council issued advice to schools and nurseries on Monday to cease playground activities, and ordered the city’s parks and cemeteries to close their gates. All maritime traffic at the city’s two ports has also been stopped until weather conditions improve.
Severe storms and heavy rainfall also battered the Balearic Islands, forcing road closures and the deployment of emergency services to help locals amid the rising water.
Portocristo in the east of Mallorca is one of the areas worst affected after the Torrent de Llebrona river overflowed, sweeping away boats docked at the nearby port and the outdoor furniture of local restaurants.
Dramatic footage of the flooding showed vehicles being washed away and water levels rising above trees. One clip showed a river overflowing and pouring onto a bridge, preventing locals from crossing the waterway.
Authorities in the island’s capital, Palma, which is popular with British holidaymakers, said rainfall of 44 litres per square metre had been recorded since the initial storm broke out on Monday, while the town of Manacor collected 120 litres per sq metre.
The island has also been battling winds of over 60km that are set to persist until midnight on Tuesday.
Mallorca’s emergency services responded to some 110 incidents before 9am on Monday following the overnight rainfall, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported.
No injuries or fatalities have been reported so far but extensive damage was caused to local infrastructure.
In El Ejido, in Almería on the south coast, hailstones the size of eggs were reported on Monday after rainfall destroyed property and vehicle windows.
Spain’s civil protection and emergency office has warned the population to stay informed of the weather and stay away from riverbeds, ravines and low-lying flood-prone areas.
Locals were also informed not to travel unless strictly necessary.
