Dramatic flooding has wrought havoc in parts of Spain overnight following severe thunderstorms accompanied by intense rain and hail.
Firefighters were forced to use rescue rafts to evacuate trapped residents and health workers as torrential downpours battered the Campo de Belchite region in Zaragoza, leaving parts of Azuara and Letux underwater.
In total, 19 people were rescued by Zaragoza Provincial Council (DPZ) crews after violent storms swept through Azuara, Moyuela, and Herrera de los Navarros.
A major emergency response was launched, involving the Guardia Civil, 061 paramedics, and firefighters from both the DPZ and Zaragoza City Council.
The Vice President of the Aragon Regional Government, Mar Vaquero, visited the affected municipalities on Saturday.
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Among the most dramatic rescues was that of four health workers trapped in Azuara’s inundated health centre.
Two were stranded on the roof, one on the first floor, and another – almost fully submerged – had to be pulled through a broken window as water nearly reached the ceiling.
Firefighters also helped evacuate two families in the same town: one with four people including two children, and another with five, including a baby. In Letux, six more residents were pulled from three separate homes after floodwaters breached properties.
The operation involved 14 firefighters, three fire engines, off-road vehicles, three rescue rafts, and bilge pumps.
The storms left a trail of destruction. The Moyuela bridge was severely damaged, and the Azuara health centre flooded beyond recognition. Several vehicles were stranded. Roads were shut down across the region.
Elsewhere in Aragon, Sancho Abarca, Tauste, and Pradilla de Ebro were hit by a vicious hailstorm. Ice the size of golf balls pummelled rooftops, tore up crops, and left streets looking like winter had returned in mid-June.
Authorities continue to monitor the region as clean-up efforts begin and residents assess the damage left behind by the freak weather event.
