Two people are missing after they are believed to have been swept away during floods in Spain.
The Catalan Fire and Rescue Service said they were searching for two people who reportedly fell into the Foix river, in Cubelles, when a wooden footbridge they were crossing gave way due to the force of the flow.
It comes after heavy rain hit tourist areas including Barcelona and Girona, with underground garages flooded and rail services suspended.
As the UK sweltered in a heatwave, half of Spain’s provinces were under weather warnings for storms yesterday, including the regions of Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón.
Scores of firefighters had joined the search for the missing walkers yesterday, using a helicopter and drones, with no success as of yet.
The floods come less than a year after devastating floods hit Valencia, killing over 220 people and leaving streets impassable with cars and debris piled up.
More bad weather was forecast today, with the State Meteorological Agency issuing weather warnings for 25 provinces, including eight as orange cautions.
Rain today was not expected to be as severe as previous days, but it will come on already waterlogged ground, with rivers already swollen.
The Ebro Riverbank in Tarazona, Zaragoza, came under red alert yesterday with nearly 100mm of rainfall falling in just an hour.
The impact was so severe that a Military Emergency Unit (UME)was deployed to the area to help with the clean-up operation, although no casualties were reported.
Photos showed how they pumped water away from waterlogged streets, bringing special equipment to handle the flood level.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned people to ‘take great caution’ and called for them to avoid any unnecessary travel in ten northern and eastern regions.
Acknowledging the scale of the floods, he wrote on X: ‘We are closely monitoring the situation in several communities with warnings for heavy rains and storms.’
The bad weather has been put down to the DANA phenomenon, which stands for ‘Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos’, meaning ‘Isolated Depression at High Altitudes’, and is often referred to as a ‘cold drop’.
This meteorological event happens when warm, moist air from the Mediterranean is sucked high into the atmosphere due to a cold system hitting.
The resulting instability leads to the formation of intense thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, and sometimes hail.
This is the same weather pattern which was blamed for the Valencia flooding, and experts say climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of such events.
While the UK isn’t affected by this specific weather pattern, last week, experts warned that London also needs to prepare for damaging floods, with thousands of people living in basements which are especially vulnerable, as freak weather events become more likely.
Is it safe to travel to Spain?
The UK Foreign Office has not currently issued any new travel warnings for Spain after the flooding.
However, it urged UK travellers: ‘Check weather warnings from Spain’s meteorological office (AEMET) before travel and follow the advice of the local authorities.’
And, like with any country, the Foreign Office advises British nationals to stay vigilant when abroad.
Read our separate article on the situation for holidaymakers here.
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