Violent thunderstorms wreak havoc across eastern Spain. by Steph Ball
At least two people have been killed by violent storms which have hit eastern Spain over the last two days. This is the second bout of severe weather to hit Spain of late. Earlier in the month Mallorca and much of Andalucia were hit by flash floods.
The Civil Protection and Emergencies department placed four of Spain’s eastern provinces on alert late Wednesday after stormy weather was forecast. Aragόn, Cataluña, the Valencia Community and Murcia were all placed under threat of some torrential downpours.
The storms set in overnight on Wednesday and over the last couple of days have wreaked havoc across the region, causing widespread and severe flooding. The city of Valencia was worst hit, with roads, homes and businesses flooded. The port, home to this years America’s Cup, was forced to close while flights had to be re-directed from its airport. Ferries from Valencia to the Balearic Islands were cancelled.
In the town of El Vergel, where one woman died, 200 helicopter rescues took place to rescue residents from their roof tops. Meanwhile residents in nearby Denia were sent fleeing from their homes as the River Girona burst its banks.
Some parts were reported to have seen over 200mm (8inches) of rain falling in a short space of time, while in Valencia itself, 100mm (4inches) fell in just an hour. The Balearic Islands were also affected. A kite-surfer was killed on the island of Ibiza when a strong squall swept him up and slammed him into a hotel wall.
Elsewhere across Spain, people flocked to the beaches to enjoy an unseasonably hot start to their bank holiday weekend. The Spanish celebrated Colombus Day on Friday. Conditions across eastern Spain are expected to improve over the weekend.
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