SPAIN: Spain has experienced flash floods due to torrential rains, causing at least two deaths and three missing persons. Emergency services said that helicopters were dispatched to Toledo, which is located about 50 kilometres (31 miles) southwest of Madrid, to rescue residents who had taken refuge on their homes’ roofs.
The storm hit the entire country, with the wettest rains occurring in Cadiz, Tarragona, and Castello. Toledo, with a record 90 litres of rain per square metre, was the centre of the country.
Firefighters and police had been searching for one man in the rural Aldea del Fresno area, southwest of Madrid, according to emergency services, who reported that they responded to about 1,200 occurrences in the Madrid area over the course of the previous night.
Rescuers were also searching for a woman who vanished in a similar manner close to Toledo and an 84-year-old man who was dragged away by mud and water in Villamanta, west of Madrid.
Residents in the Madrid region received an emergency text message warning them to stay indoors due to storm risks and not to drive, a new mobile phone alert mechanism by the government.
The Atletico Madrid vs. Sevilla football game was suspended, and several theatres in Madrid were closed early on Sunday due to flooding. Metro lines were also closed during rush hour, with only a few stations remaining closed.
High-speed rail connections between Madrid, Andalusia and Valencia reopened on Monday, although with slower speeds in some areas. Persistent rain abated on Monday morning, and AEMET reduced the Madrid region’s alert level from red to yellow.
The torrential weather follows three years of limited rainfall in Spain, which has led to water use restrictions in some areas. In August, the country also experienced a severe heatwave and persistently high temperatures.
Scientists caution that due to climate change, extreme events, such as heatwaves and storms, are getting worse.
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