Storm Alice has battered the country causing downpours and unleashing travel chaos with roads engulfed by water leacving people trapped inside vehicles and in buildings
Roads have become rivers with cars swept away during torrential flooding in Spain, as all trains to and from the country’s biggest cities are cancelled leaving millions unable to get around.
Storm Alice has battered the country causing downpours and unleashing travel chaos with roads engulfed by water leaving locals and tourists alike in Catalonia trapped by rising waters. Public transport has come to a halt along Spain’s eastern coast with trains between Barcelona and Valencia suspended until further notice.
Shocking images of the floods show rivers of brown water rushing through streets completely overwhelming vehicles in its path. Footage taken by local news organisations shows drivers trapped on a flooded motorway rescued by emergency workers near the town of Amposta.
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Meanwhile other images show luxury vehicles submerged in floodwaters, with a Lamborghini shown drowned in muddy water as four-by-fours try to struggle through the torrent. Spain was placed on high alert ahead of the powerful storms which saw warnings of “extraordinary weather ” issued by officials before the southeast of the country and the island of Ibiza were pummeled this week.
Locals in the province of Tarragona have been told to brace themselves for 180mm of rain in 12 hours as the Spanish weather agency AEMET declared a red weather alert for the region. Meanwhile in Catalonia people had been trapped by rising floodwaters with some trapped “inside vehicles, in buildings, [and] on ground floors,” a spokesman for the fire service said.
Meanwhile the mayor of Santa Barbara said local waterways “are completely overflowing and have invaded the entire centre of the town, dragging everything there is, containers and cars”. Similar scenes were reported in the village of Godall, local Mayor Alexix Albiol said: “All the cars that were in the streets near the ravine were swept away and are distributed throughout the village. I don’t believe anyone in the village has seen the amount of water that has fallen in such a short time.”
Meanwhile parts of Ibiza Airport were closed off to travellers after water came pouring into the terminal on Saturday causing power cuts as the weather grounded 24 flights that afternoon. “All the council teams and services are working tirelessly to drain water and re-establish normality as soon as possible. The most important thing is that no-one has been hurt,” Ibiza Town’s mayor Rafa Triguero said.
Back on the mainland, residents in Catalonia are being urged to avoid travelling and work from home with sporting and social activities suspended in five vulnerable regions for safety reasons. On Friday the Foreign Office issued a notice to Brits planning to travel to Spain, warning of “severe” weather conditions on its eastern coast.
“Severe weather warnings are in place today in Murcia and Valencia, including the province of Alicante. Disruptions to travel are likely,’ it said in a statement. It continued: “If you are in the affected areas, follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local weather updates. If you are planning to travel, check for messaging from your travel provider or airline.”
The floods come nearly a year after massive flooding in Valencia killed more than 200 people sparking public fury over the emergency response and warning systems.