A desperate search is underway for at least two missing people in Barcelona who authorities fear have been dragged away by flash floods.
It comes after a red weather warning was issued for the north-eastern province and parts of Tarragona on Saturday.
State weather agency Aemet predicted 180mm of rainfall could fall over a 12-hour period, while fierce thunderstorms and giant hail stones affected dozens of towns and cities between Valencia and the very north of the country.
READ MORE: IN VIDEOS: Flash floods and monster hail hit Spain amid red alert
Catalonia’s Generalitat Fire Department said it was searching for two people who they believe were swept away by the Foix River in Cubelles (Barcelona) during the so-called DANA storm.
It comes after the Foix Reservoir in Barcelona was close to overflowing on Saturday due to the heavy rain.
The reservoir, south of the province of Barcelona, was filled to 100% capacity, forcing authorities to open the flood gates to release some of the water.
As this can cause sudden flooding of the riverbeds, local residents were urged to take extreme caution and avoid flood-prone areas.
The Foix is not the only river that has seen its flow multiply due to the rains.
The Cardener River, a tributary of the Llobregat River, swept away several vehicles as it passed through Suria, inland from Barcelona.
Firefighters inspected the cars and vans and confirmed that there were no occupants in any of them, so the incident resulted in no injuries.
In total, Catalans have called the 112 emergency hotline at least 1,500 times, mostly from the Alt Penedès and Anoia regions, followed by Garraf.
Footage shared online on Saturday night showed hospitals flooding and trees being blown out of the ground by the sheer force of wind.
Read more Spain news at the Spanish Eye.
