Hindustan Times ·
Heavy rain lashes Spain, leaving woman missing
Spanish rescuers were racing on Thursday to find a woman swept away by floods near Barcelona as torrential rain struck the country's Mediterranean east, submerging streets and disrupting travel.
The deluge struck as the country, rocked by climate change, emerged from its hottest summer on record and an exceptionally warm start to September.
National weather agency AEMET issued warnings for heavy rain in eastern regions on Wednesday, briefly applying the highest red alert for Barcelona over a threat of flash floods.
Joan Ramon Cabello, prevention subdirector at Catalan Civil Protection, told regional broadcaster 3Cat that a woman was "swept away by water earlier along a stream" in the village of Olivella, around 40 kilometres west of Barcelona.
"She was in a vehicle and it seems she tried to get out," Cabello said, confirming that regional police were searching for her.
Authorities urged the public in the Catalonia and Valencia regions to avoid unnecessary travel and exercise extreme caution, with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warning on X of "very complicated situations".
Authorities sent mass telephone alerts to residents in parts of Catalonia, Valencia and the southeastern province of Almeria.
In Barcelona, some metro stations were closed and buses were diverted while the streets were submerged.
Regional trains also experienced disruption and flights were delayed or cancelled at Barcelona's El Prat airport, Spain's second-busiest.
Catalan emergency services said they received more than 850 calls related to the downpours, which generated more than 500 incidents.
In the neighbouring region of Valencia scarred by 2024 floods that killed more than 230 people weather monitor Avamet recorded more than 70 millimetres of rain in just half an hour in several municipalities.
"Rarely have we seen such large rainfall accumulations in 30 minutes as the one we've had today in Valencia and nearby areas," Avamet wrote on X.
The emergency services reported 478 incidents in the province of Valencia mostly caused by property damage, leaks and traffic disruption.
In the regional capital of the same name, all metro lines were suspended, while flooding shut the city's airport for hours, causing 12 flights to be diverted, operator Aena said.
A top-flight football match in Valencia city between Levante and Athletic Bilbao was postponed as the pitch was waterlogged and water seeped into the players' tunnel.
Further south, more than 20 municipalities across Almeria and the southeastern region of Murcia suspended classes on Thursday as a precaution.
Scientists say human-driven climate change is intensifying the Mediterranean storms that typically hit eastern Spain in autumn as the sea absorbs heat during the summer, leading to increased evaporation and heavier rainfall.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
