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Madrid storm: Streets turn to rivers as flash-flooding, hailstones and tornado hit Spain

Video footage shows cars and rubbish bins being swept down roads

Chiara Giordano
Tuesday 27 August 2019 13:55 EDT
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People remove hail from streets in Arganda del Rey, Madrid, Spain, 26 August 2019.
People remove hail from streets in Arganda del Rey, Madrid, Spain, 26 August 2019. (EPA)

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The streets of Madrid have been turned to rivers as flash flooding, hailstones and a tornado hit Spain.

Video footage shows cars and rubbish bins being swept down flooded streets, while people dressed in shorts and T-shirts attempt to clear mounds of hail with shovels.

The worst-affected neighbourhood was Arganda del Rey, which was cut off from the rest of Madrid after one of the Spanish capital’s main railway lines was closed.

The day-long storm also caused delays to flights and underground train services and flooded tunnels and car parks.

Spain’s meteorological agency said it registered more than 9,000 bolts of lightning in six hours.

The agency added that by Tuesday the rain had moved to the east coast and the Mediterranean Balearic Islands, such as Mallorca.

About 300 miles south of Madrid, a tornado also tore through Campillos, in Malaga, on Monday night, taking down power lines.

Seventy goats were reportedly killed when two barns collapsed, and another four barns, olive groves and crops were destroyed by the storm, according to regional newspaper Diario Sur.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.

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