Torrential rain triggered flash floods in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region, trapping people in cars and forcing travel suspensions across the Mediterranean coast.
Videos shared online showed torrents of muddy water surging through the towns of La Ràpita and Santa Bàrbara in Tarragona province, sweeping away vehicles and debris. Spain’s national weather agency Aemet declared the highest red alert in the province, warning that up to 180mm of rain could fall in just 12 hours.
Catalonia’s Civil Protection agency urged residents in the Ebro Delta to stay indoors as conditions worsened.
“The situation is complicated, and more rain is forecast,” Cristina Vicente, a senior official at the agency was quoted as saying by La Vanguardia.
So far there have been no reports of deaths or injuries but emergency services have been rescuing drivers from submerged vehicles.
Train services between Barcelona and Valencia were suspended until further notice along the Mediterranean Corridor, while roads in several low-lying areas were closed due to the flooding.
The downpours are part of a spell of severe weather driven by Storm Alice, which has battered parts of southeastern Spain, including the Balearic Islands, in recent days.
The rainfall has led to travel chaos in the popular tourist island of Ibiza, as the airport has been flooded and roads submerged.
At least 24 flights were cancelled from late afternoon onwards at Ibiza’s airport, with inside areas having to be closed due to water leaking into the terminal and power cuts caused by the heavy showers.
“Because of the adverse weather conditions in Ibiza, airport operations were temporarily paralysed between 6pm and 7.20pm,” officials at Spanish airports authority AENA told local press. “During that time the runway was cleaned along with other areas that were affected by the storm.”
The city of Murcia has also seen evacuations, with significant flooding in places.
Yellow warnings were in place on Sunday from Valencia to the south of Tarragona as the storm was expected to bring a total of 250-300mm (10-12inches) of rain in some locations.
