Flash floods in Spain have left a 102-year-old woman dead and forced the rescue of about 90 people after torrential rain turned streets in the town of Madrigueras into fast-flowing rivers.
The woman was found lifeless inside her home on Friday evening in the Albacete town, about 120 miles north-west of Alicante. Floodwater inside the property is understood to have risen to more than three feet.
Most of those rescued had become trapped in their homes as the deluge swept through the area. Cars were carried along by the water and piled on top of one another in the centre of the town.
Police footage showed residents watching from upper-floor balconies as vehicles disappeared beneath the torrent. In one video, a man attempted to shelter behind his car while floodwater surged around it.
The Civil Guard in Albacete said intense rainfall had caused flooding on urban and interurban roads, with the volume of water inundating streets and sweeping away vehicles.
“Avoid unnecessary travel and do not cross flooded areas,” the force warned residents and visitors.
The flooding began at about 6pm, after regional officials had issued weather warnings. However, the scale of the deluge took many people by surprise.
Spain had issued its highest weather warning as storms threatened parts of the country’s eastern coast, including popular holiday areas. Orange and yellow alerts were also in place across parts of the Costa Blanca.
Warnings remain in place across eastern Spain
Forecasters expect unstable weather to continue into next week, with eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands considered most at risk. The red warning level was raised in the worst-hit areas, representing the highest alert issued by Spain’s weather agency.
Officials said the designation is reserved for conditions that could have severe consequences for people and property. Residents were told to remain indoors, avoid unnecessary journeys and keep away from flood-prone areas, underpasses and normally dry riverbeds.
They were also urged to check on vulnerable relatives and neighbours, including elderly people, children and those with disabilities.
Further flooding was reported in Tortosa, in Catalonia, where streets and low-lying properties were submerged. Images from the town showed debris inside a restaurant and a washing machine floating along a waterlogged road.
A storm system affected the Baix Ebre and Montsia districts across southern Catalonia, with more than 200 millimetres of rain falling across several municipalities over Thursday and Friday.
The scenes in Madrigueras have been compared with the devastating floods that struck Valencia in 2024, known as the dana, in which 232 people died, including British pensioners Don and Terri Turner.
