Spain hit by fresh flash flooding after deadly storms

Fresh flash flooding has hit Spain’s northeast, washing away dozens of vehicles, after more than 200 people were killed last week in one of the worst floods in Europe this century.

Catalonia’s fire service has shared imagery of the 30-car pile-up against a bridge in the coastal town of Cadaques, in the region of Girona, after a torrent of water washed the vehicles down the street following heavy rain,

The service added in a statement on X (Twitter) that while some infrastructure and properties were affected, no one was found in the cars, nor injured.

Catalonia weather agency Meteocat also shared footage of the surging floodwaters online this morning, following what it called a period of “intense and continuous rain” where more than 100mm had been exceeded.

One resident posted on X: “The situation is very serious in Cadaques, dozens of cars have been swept away by the Cadaques stream, blocking the bridge. Something like this has not happened in Cadaques for many, many years.”

Local media has reported that the intensity of the downpour has eased, however the dramatic incident comes as communities in Valencia continue mopping up after at least 219 people died in flash flooding in the worst event of its kind in decades.

Nearly a year’s worth of rain – close to half a metre – fell in just eight hours in some areas, leaving residents “trapped like rats” in homes and cars, as described by one desperate local mayor recalling the chaos.

According the Spain’s weather service, the town of Chiva, west of Valencia province, recorded 491mm of rain – more than it has seen over the past 20 months.

The historic floods caused 219 deaths, 211 of them in the Valencia region alone. Another seven people died in neighboring Castilla-La Mancha and one more in southern Andalusia.

Spain’s Mediterranean coast is used to autumn storms that can cause flooding, but this was the most powerful flash flood event in recent memory. Scientists are linking it to the climate crisis, which is also behind increasingly high temperatures and droughts in Spain and the heating up of the Mediterranean.

Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia were pelted with mud by crowds during their visit to the region last week, as anger fermented among communities who said they felt abandoned by authorities in the wake of the natural disaster, with troops and police deployed to assist communities in affected areas.

Earlier this week Barcelona was also hit by heavy rain, flooding parts of its airport and prompting the cancellation of dozens of flights.