Three dead after severe flooding in Spain

A total of three people have died in Spain due to severe flooding caused by heavy rain.

A 102-year-old woman drowned in the town of Madrigeras in the Castellin La Mancha region on Saturday night. Pictures showed how streets there had turned into raging rivers. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed his condolences to the woman's relatives.

On Sunday night, two more people died in the province of Barcelona. A man died when a wall collapsed on him. Another man drowned in the underground car park of his house. One person is still missing. In the city center of Barcelona alone it rained 190 liters per square meter within 24 hours on Saturday.

Highest warning level for the east of the country

The Spanish Meteorological Service had already issued a red alert for a large part of eastern Spain on Friday. Authorities called on people to stay at home. This warning currently still applies to large parts of Catalonia. The Catalan regional government has therefore canceled numerous cultural and sporting events as well as outdoor markets since Saturday.

Large amounts of rain fell particularly in the autonomous region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain with Barcelona, ​​as the state TV broadcaster RTVE reported. Images from the town of L'Hospitalet de Llobregat near Barcelona showed streets flooded and people standing knee-deep in water.

Fire departments receive more than a thousand calls

According to the Vanguardia newspaper, the fire department in the region received more than a thousand calls on Sunday night. Most of the incidents involved flooding of cellars and other rooms as well as fallen trees. The fire brigade also had to rescue drivers trapped in their vehicles, the newspaper reported.

Authorities also reported flooding and flooded streets in the Basque Country around the city of Bilbao as a result of the heavy rains. According to RTVE, the water was knee-deep in some parts of Bilbao's old town. Traffic came to a standstill in some areas. Severe storms have already hit parts of the country in the past few days.

Meteorological phenomenon

The storm is due to a so-called DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos). This phenomenon is common on the Spanish Mediterranean coast in autumn. A low pressure area at high altitudes from the Atlantic meets warm and moist air from the Mediterranean, which can lead to heavy rainfall.