People missing as flash floods sweep across Spain sending cars floating down street amid 'historic' weather event

James Holt
Tue 29 October 2024 

-Credit: (Image: Getty Images)

Several people have been reported missing after flash floods swept cars through village streets and trapped people inside their homes amid a 'historic' weather event in large areas of eastern and southern Spain.

Rushing mud-coloured waters caused havoc in a huge arc of the European country, running from the provinces of Malaga in the south to Valencia in the east. The country was under severe weather alert for Storm Dana, which warned of flash flooding and landslides.


Images shot by people with smartphones reproduced on Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE showed frighteningly swift waters carrying away cars and rising several feet into the lower level of homes.

READ MORE UK tourists warned of ‘extreme’ weather in Spain as new red alert issued

A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no-one was hurt. The high-speed train service between Valencia city and Madrid was interrupted as were several commuter lines.

The national government office for the Castilla La Mancha region told radio channel Cadena Ser that six people in the region were missing. Spanish news agency EFE said that one truck driver was missing in L’Alcudia, a town in Valencia.

Also in Valencia, the mayor of Utiel, Ricardo Gabaldon, told RTVE that several people were trapped in their homes. Police and rescue services used helicopters to lift people from homes and cars.

Footage posted on social media appeared to show a police car being swept away by flood waters in Valencia. Spanish authorities in the worst-hit areas urged citizens to remain in their homes and avoid all non-essential travel.

AEMET, the country's state weather agency, issued a red alert for the eastern Valencia region with the second-highest level of alert put in place for parts of Andalusia in the south.

Cars submerged in floodwater in Valencia -Credit:Getty Images

Footage captured in the Valencian town of Alzira showed firefighters rescuing trapped drivers and flooded streets as heavy rain pummelled the area.

Nick Finnis, a Netweather forecaster, shared a clip on X showing flood waters barrelling through Albacete in central Spain. He wrote: "Scary fast-flowing flash floods through streets of Albacete, Spain today, these aren't rare incidents anymore, this is one of several Spanish communities quite far apart seeing streets turn into raging rivers yesterday, today and likely tomorrow too".

An emergency rescue brigade of Spain’s army deployed to help rescue efforts. Storms were forecast to continue until Thursday (October 31), according to Spain’s national weather service.

AEMET had anticipated that Valencia would bear the brunt of the storm, with more than 3.5 inches (90mm) forecast in less than an hour, or 180 mm in less than 12 hours.

Spain has experienced similar autumn storms in recent years. The country has recovered somewhat from a severe drought this year thanks to rainfall. Scientists say that increased episodes of extreme weather are probably linked to climate change.

You can find the latest AEMET forecasts and weather advice in here.

Severe flash flooding hits southern and eastern Spain

Taylor Ward, CNN and Mauricio Torres, CNN en Español
Tue 29 October 2024 

Parts of southern and eastern Spain were hit by severe flash flooding on Tuesday, as some locations received up to 12 inches of rain in just a few hours.

Footage from the city of Valencia showed mud-colored water flooding through the streets, tearing down walls, and sweeping away parked cars.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said an unspecified number of people are missing due to the flooding, and asked citizens to act with “great caution” and avoid moving around if it is not necessary.

The Spanish government set up a crisis committee on Tuesday, according to the Palace of La Moncloa. It will be chaired by Sánchez and, from Wednesday, will coordinate the work of the Civil Guard, the National Police, the General Directorate of Civil Protection, and the Military Emergency Unit.

Extreme rain warnings were in effect on Tuesday for some areas including around Valencia, according to Spain’s Meteorological Agency, AEMET. These warnings called for the potential of 200 mm (4 inches) of rain in less than 12 hours.

In some locations, the rainfall estimates were exceeded in even shorter periods of time. Chiva, which is east of Valencia, received 320 mm of rain in just over four hours, according to the European Severe Weather Database.

The Valencia area averages 77 mm (3.03 inches) for the entire month of October.

A person reacts to heavy flooding on a street in Valencia, Spain, October 29, 2024. - Eva Manez/Reuters

Flooding was also reported in and around Murcia and Malaga with over 100 mm (4 inches) of rain falling in some of these areas.

A strong upper level low pressure is moving northward into the region from Africa. The strong system is bringing a significant amount of atmospheric instability to the region. Extreme amounts of rainfall are also being enhanced with moisture from the Mediterranean Sea and upslope flow into higher terrain which acts to squeeze out additional moisture.

Rainfall warnings continue through Wednesday for portions of eastern and southern Spain, according to AEMET. The warnings north of Valencia are for rainfall totals in excess of 100 mm (4 inches) and rainfall rates of 30 mm per hour (1.18 inches per hour).

Areas of southwestern Spain will see the threat of heavy rain continue through the end of the week

Several bodies found as heavy rains, flash floods slam Spain

NEWS WIRES
Tue 29 October 2024

A car is pictured on a flooded street in Alora, near Malaga, on October 29, 2024, after a heavy rain hit southern Spain.


Emergency service workers recovered multiple bodies in the eastern Spanish region of Valencia after heavy rains battered the country's eastern and southern areas, causing flash floods and disrupting air and rail travel.

Several bodies have been recovered by emergency service workers in Spain's eastern region of Valencia after torrential rains triggered flash floods, the head of the regional government said Wednesday.

"We can confirm that some bodies have already been found," Carlos Mazon told reporters, without saying how many.

Authorities could not give further details until relatives had been informed, he added.

Heavy rain lashed much of eastern and southern Spain on Tuesday, flooding streets with muddy water and disrupting rail and air travel.

Images shot by residents with smartphones and broadcast on Spanish TV showed raging waters washing away cars and flooding buildings.

In some areas, more than a month's rain fell in a single day, Spanish media reported.

"We are facing an unprecedented situation, which nobody remembers," Mazon said.

Officials said on Tuesday that at least seven people were missing -- a truck driver in the Valencia region and six people in the town of Letur in the eastern province of Albacete.

Emergency services workers backed by drones would work through the night to look for the missing in Letur, the central government's representative in Castilla-La Mancha, Milagros Tolon, told Spanish public television station TVE.

"The priority is to find these people," she added.

(AFP)

Several missing in Spain after heavy rain causes flooding

Christina Thykjaer
Tue 29 October 2024 at 2:41 pm GMT-6·1-min read


Several missing in Spain after heavy rain causes flooding

Several people were reported missing by Spanish authorities after flash floods swept cars through village streets and disrupted rail service in large areas of eastern and southern Spain on Tuesday.

A high-speed train with nearly 300 people on board derailed near Malaga, although rail authorities said no one was hurt. The flooding also disrupted high-speed train services between Valencia and Madrid, as well as other commuter lines across the affected regions.

The State Meteorological Agency has issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in the Valencian Community, where flooding caused a bridge to collapse in Picanya.

Municipalities such as Turís and Utiel received around 200 litres of rain per square metre, with many localities in the south and east seeing over 100 litres on Tuesday alone, according to official reports.

Authorities has warned that the adverse weather conditions are expected to persist, and urged locals to remain cautious. “This Tuesday is the most adverse day of the episode, but very heavy showers will continue during the following days,” the agency said on social media platform X.

Spain has faced similar autumn storms in recent years. The country has recovered somewhat from a severe drought this year thanks to rainfall. Scientists say that the increase in extreme weather events is likely linked to climate change.

Spain issues rare weather alert

Liv Clarke
Mon 28 October 2024 

-Credit: (Image: aemet.es)


A rare weather alert has been issued for Spain as storms and heavy rain are set to batter the country in the coming days. Aemet, the country’s national weather agency, has released a special advisory notice covering mainland Spain and the Balearic Islands.

It’s due to a DANA (isolated depression at high levels), which is slowly moving across the country, “producing widespread rainfall in the Peninsula and the Balearic Islands.” It’s set to last until Thursday, October 31.

Several weather warnings have been put in force across the country this week, with rare amber alerts in place for storms and heavy rainfall in Almeria, Ceuta and the Castellon region from 6pm tonight until midnight. Coastal alerts warning of waves of up to 4, and winds of up to 60km/h have been issued along the coast of Almeria, while waves of up to 3m could occur off the coast of Barcelona. The region of Girona could see possible hail.

READ MORE: UK tourists warned of ‘transport disruption’ across Spain, Canary Islands and Balearics

Forecasting for Monday, Aemet warns of “locally strong and/or persistent showers and thunderstorms in in the Balearic Islands, Girona, Albacete and coastal and pre-coastal areas of Tarragona, Castellón, Murcia, Almería, Málaga and the Strait of Gibraltar.”

Heavy rain and storms are set to batter Spain and the Balearic Islands including Majorca -Credit:Getty Images

On Tuesday yellow warnings for heavy rain and storms are in place for large swathes of eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands. Amber warnings for rain and storms have been issued for the Valencia region, while coastal warnings for waves of up to 4m and winds of 60km/h cover the east coast.

Ibiza is expected to experience winds of up to 70km/h and waves of up to 4m, while Majorca and Menorca are set to be battered by winds of up to 60km/h in coastal regions. Forecasting for Tuesday, Aemet said: “The Peninsula and the Balearic Islands are likely to continue with unstable weather under the influence of low pressure. With a margin of uncertainty, precipitation and storms are likely in the southern half, areas of the northeast, the Strait, the Alboran and the Balearic Islands, without ruling out neighbouring areas.”

By Wednesday the majority of warnings had been removed, but precipitation remains “probable” across mainland Spain and the Balearics. Storms could occur in Catalenona, the Valencian Community, Aragon and the Strait of Gibraltar.