At least 15 people died in weeks of storms in Portugal, as fresh flooding forced the evacuation of around 3,000 residents, triggered the collapse of a motorway, and led to the resignation of the interior minister.
Heavy rain caused a levee on the River Mondego to burst late on Wednesday, undermining a pillar supporting the A1 highway that links Lisbon and Porto. A section of the road gave way after police had already closed it as a precaution, Coimbra mayor Ana Abrunhosa told RTP.
“Coimbra and surrounding towns have very serious problems due to floods, some are isolated… The situation is extremely unstable,” she said.
Prime minister Luís Montenegro travelled to Coimbra to oversee the emergency response, saying authorities were “at the limit of our capacity to contain these waters”.
The latest flooding follows successive storms since late January that have battered central and southern Portugal, blowing roofs off homes, inundating towns and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity for days. At least 15 people have died as a consequence of the storms.
Municipal authorities ordered the precautionary evacuation of about 3,000 people most at risk from the Mondego bursting its banks. Police carried out door-to-door checks and transported residents to shelters.
Regional civil protection official Carlos Tavares warned the Aguieira dam, about 35km northeast of Coimbra, could “overflow, sweep away levees, and trigger further flooding”.
Portugal’s environment agency APA said it expected an “exceptional period of peak flows” on the Mondego through Saturday.
The political pressure has mounted alongside the rising waters. Interior minister Maria Lúcia Amaral resigned late on Tuesday after facing criticism over the government’s handling of the flood response.
In a presidency statement, she said she felt she did not have the “personal and political conditions necessary” to continue in the role. Montenegro will temporarily assume her responsibilities.
Opposition figures had criticised what they described as a slow and inadequate response to Storm Kristin two weeks ago, which caused widespread destruction.
Satellite images from the European Space Agency show areas along the River Tagus, northeast of Lisbon, where water levels have risen since late December. The river has spread beyond its usual banks after Storms Kristin, Leonardo and Marta.
In central Portugal, just across the River Tagus from Lisbon, authorities evacuated the village of Porto Brandao due to the risk of landslides. Around 30 people were removed from their homes after a landslide in the neighbouring beachside area of Caparica.
Several parts of Portugal and southern Spain recorded more than 250mm of rain in just seven days.
Portugal remains under a state of calamity in 69 municipalities until mid-February following what authorities described as unprecedented rainfall. The Copernicus Emergency Management Service has been activated for flooding in both Portugal and Spain.
