Floods in southeastern Spain kill at least three people

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The flood damage in Pilar de la Horadada, Spain, September 13, 2019. REUTERS / Sergio Perez

The south-east of Spain is facing floods due to torrential rains that killed at least three people on Friday 13 September and forced local authorities to close two airports and many schools. The regions of Murcia, Andalusia and Valencia are the most affected.

At least three people died in the floods, local authorities in southeastern Spain confirmed on Friday (13 September). A " middle-aged man ," according to the emergency services, died Friday after being stuck in his car in a tunnel in Almeria, a coastal city in Andalusia. The tunnel was " flooded in a few minutes because of the large amount of water that fell, " said the city's town hall on his Twitter account.

This is the third victim, after two people - 61-year-old man and his 51-year-old sister - died on Thursday 12 September, washed away in the car in the village of Caudete in Castille-La Mancha. . In the province of Albacete, where Caudete is located, the emergency services had to rescue 13 people, trapped in vehicles or refugees on the roofs of houses, according to service 112.

The @Policia_Almeria confirmed a mortal life in a vehículo that was anticipated to the seizure of the house frente to the hotel Tryp, anchored by the canteen of agua caída in pocos minutos.

Closed airports

Torrential rains in the south-east of the country have caused disruption of transport, overflowing rivers and evacuations of residents.

Almeria airport was closed on Friday, airport manager Aena was told, and Murcia airport was closed for the second day in a row. Authorities have also advised against locals taking their cars.

Many schools were closed across the affected areas. In Valencia alone, where they had already been closed on Thursday, more than 500,000 students were assigned to at least 84 municipalities, according to the regional government.

In Murcia, all schools and colleges have been closed, as well as the university.

Railways " transformed into a river "

The Valencian Meteorological Association (AVAMET) has released images showing collapsed walls in the city of Ontinyent (35,000 inhabitants), where the Clariano River has overflowed. According to the association, this city, one of the most affected, has experienced its greatest rainfall since the beginning of the collection of meteorological data in 1917.

The images also show cars washed away by the waves on a street in Moixent (4,000 inhabitants) or railway lines " transformed into a river " in Font de la Figuera (2,000 inhabitants).

Images of the Clariano River in the city of Ontinyent

#DANAsetembre: imatges del riu Clariano desbordat al seu pas per #Ontinyent, al Barri de la Cantereria (la Vall d'Albaida, València). Continua plovent amb molta intensitat, in Alguns punts of Ontinyent ja superen els 250mm. pic.twitter.com/XCIJDVH8o1

(With AFP and Reuters)