Heavy rainfall and severe flooding in Catalonia, Spain, have claimed the lives of two individuals and left another person missing, local authorities reported on Sunday.
According to David Borrell, the head of the regional fire services, “We have two confirmed victims as well as at least one missing person.” One of the deceased was killed when a wall collapsed at a campsite in Tordera, while the other drowned in a flooded garage in Montornès del Vallès, both towns located in the Barcelona province.
Salvador Illa, the president of Catalonia, emphasized the need for utmost caution and urged residents to follow emergency service guidelines. In response to the intense rainfall that began Saturday afternoon, officials advised residents in potentially affected areas to stay indoors and canceled public events.
The Spanish meteorological agency Aemet indicated that extreme danger conditions persist in certain areas of Barcelona and Girona, with over 100 liters of rain accumulating per square meter in several locations overnight.
Emergency services worked through the night to rescue individuals trapped in their vehicles due to streets flooded in Granollers and other towns. On Sunday morning, the Civil Protection agency sent alerts to mobile phones of residents near the Besòs River, warning of a potential overflow and advising them to seek refuge on upper floors of their homes if necessary.
The storm also led to the cancellation of a housing rights demonstration in Barcelona, part of organized mobilizations across numerous cities in Spain, including Madrid, where tens of thousands gathered. Moreover, the flooding has caused significant disruptions in the region, with many flights at Barcelona Airport canceled or delayed, and train services also affected, as reported by La Vanguardia.
