At least four people have been killed in Spain as the country is battered by torrential rainfall and devastating flooding.
Thousands of people have been evacuated from the country’s eastern region as Storm Adam unleashed 700 litres per square metre of rain in parts of Valencia within a single 24-hour period.
The deluge, which began on Saturday, turned streets into raging torrents, swept vehicles off roads, and cut off entire communities along the Mediterranean coastline.
Rivers overflowed their banks as floodwaters surged through towns, producing scenes painfully familiar to a region still recovering from the catastrophic floods of 2024, which killed more than 230 people.
Two of the dead were discovered in the badly affected coastal resort of Oliva, whilst a third victim perished at a beach in Sagunto.
A fourth person died after falling into a swollen watercourse in Catalonia.
Security forces carried out more than 400 rescue operations across the Valencia region, according to government representative Pilar Bernabe.
Helicopters were deployed to winch residents to safety after flooding left them stranded on rooftops.
At the height of the emergency yesterday morning, authorities ordered about 800,000 people to stay indoors.
Deputy Mayor of the Olvia municipality in Valencia, Salvador Llopis, said emergency crews were working to free trapped residents, with elderly residents particularly vulnerable.
“They have to stay on top of tables and furniture to avoid getting wet,” he said, telling state broadcaster TVE that water levels inside homes were reaching waist height.
In Els Poblets, northeast of Alicante, floodwaters had piled cars and vans on top of one another, while residents tried to salvage belongings from damaged properties.
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More than 2,000 people were evacuated, mostly in Oliva, and the Civil Guard carried out nearly 100 additional rescues across Valencia and Alicante on Monday.
More than 100,000 pupils in Valencia had their classes suspended because of severe weather alerts.
In contrast, Spain’s national weather agency, Amet, described conditions as “extremely adverse”.
The service said that rainfall in some areas had surpassed 600mm over 48 hours, the highest recorded since 1987.
Mediterranean storms have grown more intense as warmer seas increase evaporation, leading to heavier autumn downpours.
Amet announced on Friday that September was mainland Spain’s hottest on record, following the country’s warmest summer ever between June and August.
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