A woman and a young girl are believed to be the two people feared swept away by flash floods in Barcelona, it has emerged.
Emergency crews are scouring the Catalan town of Cubelles in a frantic effort to locate the pair.
A witness told authorities he lost sight of them at around 9pm on Saturday, just as they attempted to cross a footbridge spanning the Foix River, which collapsed amid a flood surge triggered by torrential rain.
It came after Barcelona province was placed under a red alert due to extreme rainfall by state weather agency Aemet.
Elsewhere, in Vilafranca del Penedes (also Barcelona), the Alt Penedes Regional Hospital is being evacuated and will be closed for several weeks to allow for repairs after serious flooding.
Rescue teams searching for the missing woman and girl began combing the river overnight, zeroing in on the last location the two were seen.
The search remained active into Sunday morning, with Interior Minister Nuria Parlon confirming efforts would continue for several more hours.
Seven specialist units from the Generalitat Fire Brigade, including underwater divers from the elite GRAE rescue group, are now on the ground.
Crews, assisted by sniffer dogs, are trudging through debris-strewn terrain along the swollen banks of the Foix.
Helicopters were forced to pull out after nightfall, while drones that had joined the mission at first light have now been grounded.
Further downstream, Mossos d’Esquadra officers are sweeping the estuary and coastline by boat.
Reinforcements from the ARRO tactical unit and Citizen Security teams have also joined the operation.
Meanwhile, the firefighting force remains stretched across seven additional flood-related emergencies, pumping water from submerged garages and basements across the region.
The Red Cross has also been deployed to provide humanitarian support.
Authorities say the worst of the flooding may now be over. The Catalan Water Agency opened the floodgates of the Foix reservoir on Saturday to relieve mounting pressure after relentless rains swelled its capacity to 100%.
Authorities issued mass alerts to residents in Cubelles and nearby Castellet i la Gornal, urging them to stay away from waterways.
