Bar collapse and fatal floods strike Spain amid extreme weather

At least 11 people were injured after a bar collapsed in La Rioja in northern Spain early Saturday, authorities said, according to Reuters.

The bar in San Vicente de la Sonsierra collapsed at around 5:25am, trapping between 25 and 30 people inside, the Spanish government in La Rioja said.

Emergency teams rushed to the site and rescued people from the rubble of the building. Firefighters continued searching the area to determine whether anyone else remained trapped. Survivors told authorities that the floor collapsed first, followed by the ceiling. Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the collapse.

In a separate incident, a 102-year-old woman died and around 90 people were rescued after heavy rain caused flooding in Madrigueras in southeastern Spain, regional authorities said.

Cars were swept along flooded streets in the town after heavy rain on Friday, prompting a large-scale rescue operation by emergency services in the Castilla-La Mancha region. Firefighters found the woman dead inside her home, where floodwater had risen to more than one metre. Authorities said the town received 142 litres of rain per square metre.

The flooding came after Spain recorded its hottest summer on record. Almost 2,150 people are estimated to have died from heat-related causes in August, according to official figures.