Two people have died and another remained missing after torrential rain and flooding swept through Spain's northeastern Catalonia region over the weekend, authorities said on Sunday, as a renewed burst of heavy rainfall on Monday kept travel disrupted across the Barcelona area.
Red alert and flooded streets
Catalan leader Salvador Illa confirmed that a man died in Tordera, a town north of Barcelona, after a wall collapsed on him. Firefighters said a second person died in Montornès del Vallès, while emergency services were searching for a missing person in Pineda de Mar, about 52 kilometres north of Barcelona.
Catalan authorities issued a red weather alert and urged residents to stay indoors from 8 p.m. on Saturday until 2 p.m. on Sunday, warning that a "mini-hurricane" could strike the northeastern region with more heavy rain to come. Sarai Sarroca, director of the regional weather service Meteocat, said the core of an exceptional weather system was sitting over the Mediterranean and could move over land in Catalonia.
Homes were flooded and cars left submerged in Bellvitge and Cornellà near Barcelona after torrential rain on Saturday. Flights were cancelled or delayed at Barcelona's airport, local newspaper La Vanguardia reported, while all local train services were disrupted. Shops shut early, football matches were called off and a performance of Verdi's Aida at Barcelona's Liceu opera house was cancelled.
Disruption continues into Monday
The storm's aftermath was still paralysing parts of the region on Monday. More than half of the Rodalies commuter rail network around Barcelona was affected, with trains replaced by buses on several routes linking the city with the Maresme coast, Girona and the Vallès.
Spain's AEMET weather agency placed the Barcelona pre-coastal area under a red warning early Monday after another burst of intense rainfall, with stationary storms capable of producing more than 90 millimetres of rain in one hour. Road closures around Barcelona caused heavy congestion, with around 18 kilometres of queues reported southbound on the C-58.
Rainfall reached 288 litres per square metre in Vilassar de Mar and 213 litres per square metre in Barcelona, according to figures reported after the storm. Firefighters carried out 2,440 operations during the episode, including 226 rescue operations. Authorities said the search for the missing person in Pineda de Mar was continuing on Monday, and city parks in Barcelona remained closed while safety inspections were carried out.
Sources:
Reuters: Two dead in flooding in Spain's Catalonia region (via Arab News)
FTN News: Barcelona travel disruption continues after severe storm
Red alert and flooded streets
Catalan leader Salvador Illa confirmed that a man died in Tordera, a town north of Barcelona, after a wall collapsed on him. Firefighters said a second person died in Montornès del Vallès, while emergency services were searching for a missing person in Pineda de Mar, about 52 kilometres north of Barcelona.
Catalan authorities issued a red weather alert and urged residents to stay indoors from 8 p.m. on Saturday until 2 p.m. on Sunday, warning that a "mini-hurricane" could strike the northeastern region with more heavy rain to come. Sarai Sarroca, director of the regional weather service Meteocat, said the core of an exceptional weather system was sitting over the Mediterranean and could move over land in Catalonia.
Homes were flooded and cars left submerged in Bellvitge and Cornellà near Barcelona after torrential rain on Saturday. Flights were cancelled or delayed at Barcelona's airport, local newspaper La Vanguardia reported, while all local train services were disrupted. Shops shut early, football matches were called off and a performance of Verdi's Aida at Barcelona's Liceu opera house was cancelled.
Disruption continues into Monday
The storm's aftermath was still paralysing parts of the region on Monday. More than half of the Rodalies commuter rail network around Barcelona was affected, with trains replaced by buses on several routes linking the city with the Maresme coast, Girona and the Vallès.
Spain's AEMET weather agency placed the Barcelona pre-coastal area under a red warning early Monday after another burst of intense rainfall, with stationary storms capable of producing more than 90 millimetres of rain in one hour. Road closures around Barcelona caused heavy congestion, with around 18 kilometres of queues reported southbound on the C-58.
Rainfall reached 288 litres per square metre in Vilassar de Mar and 213 litres per square metre in Barcelona, according to figures reported after the storm. Firefighters carried out 2,440 operations during the episode, including 226 rescue operations. Authorities said the search for the missing person in Pineda de Mar was continuing on Monday, and city parks in Barcelona remained closed while safety inspections were carried out.
Sources:
Reuters: Two dead in flooding in Spain's Catalonia region (via Arab News)
FTN News: Barcelona travel disruption continues after severe storm
