Hundreds of cars have been swept away and torrential rain has triggered severe flash flooding across Spain’s Catalonia region.
Videos shared online show muddy water surging through the towns of La Ràpita and Santa Bàrbara, flooding the ground floors of buildings, submerging roads, and damaging the rail network between southern Catalonia and Camp de Tarragona.
Spain’s national weather agency, Aemet, issued its highest red alert for the province, warning that up to 180mm of rain could fall within just 12 hours.
Aemet said in a statement: “Be prepared. Take precautions and keep up to date with the latest weather forecast. Severe damages to people and properties may occur, especially to those vulnerable or in exposed areas.”
Joan Roig, mayor of Alcanar, told local outlet La Vanguardia: “It’s a disaster, especially in Alcanar Platja. It’s the same thing every year at the same time, with the danger it poses to people’s lives,” warning that lives will be lost.
Firefighters responded to 340 flood-related incidents, including 31 rescues. Most of the incidents involved people trapped in their vehicles.
Fire chief David Borrell said one of the rescues was carried out just metres from the sea, according to the media outlet.
Debris collects from the flood water in Godall, south of Barcelona (AFP via Getty Images)
Emergency services reported receiving over 2,100 calls for help from those stranded by the extreme weather.
Despite the scale of the flooding, no casualties or serious injuries have been reported in Terres de l’Ebre as of yet.
Search and rescue operations remain ongoing, and evacuations have been reported in the city of Murcia.
Flash flooding in Godall, south of Barcelona (AFP via Getty Images)
Local media reported that between 1,000 and 1,100 people trapped by the downpour were forced to spend the night in shelters across the Montsià area.
Catalonia’s Civil Protection agency urged residents in the Ebro Delta to stay indoors over the weekend as conditions worsened.
Trains were suspended between Barcelona and Valencia until further notice along the Mediterranean Corridor, while roads in several low-lying areas we closed due to flooding.
A vehicle swept away by severe flooding in Tarragona (Getty Images)
The rainfall, brought about by Storm Alice, has also caused chaos in the popular tourist destination of Ibiza.
Flights have been cancelled as the airport has been flooded and roads submerged.
“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.”