Five people have died after Storm Adam unleashed devastating flooding and rockfalls across southern and eastern Spain.
Two deaths were reported on Monday in Oliva, Valencia, where military emergency personnel found the body of a 79-year-old woman. A man also died at a campsite in the town.
In Benaojan, Malaga, a 41-year-old man was killed by a boulder falling onto his car. Three others in the car were injured.
It came after the deaths of two women on Sunday, including one at a beach in Sagunto and another swept away by floodwater in Cabrera de Mar, near Barcelona.
Around 2,000 people were evacuated and more than 100 rescues carried out as torrential rain overwhelmed communities in southern Valencia and northern Alicante.
‘Please, stay at home’
The Valencian government published movement restrictions covering 145 municipalities, affecting approximately 850,000 residents.
Regional emergencies minister Juan Carlos Valderrama urged people not to travel through the worst-hit areas.
‘We have many people trapped, and even trucks cannot reach those areas because of the amount of water and because rivers are overflowing,’ he said.
‘Please, stay at home. Do not drive on the roads.’
The emergency was particularly severe in La Safor, which includes Gandia and Oliva, and La Marina Alta, home to Denia, Pego and Xabia.
Both districts were placed at emergency situation two, allowing additional state resources to support the response. Spain’s Military Emergency Unit, the UME, has been mobilised.
Residents trapped on rooftops
Pego mayor Enrique Moll said people in low-lying areas around the Marjal de Pego-Oliva natural park were waiting on rooftops for helicopter rescue.
Access routes were cut off, with even heavy emergency vehicles struggling to reach flooded neighbourhoods.
He reported numerous calls from residents whose ground floors and garages were underwater, with water entering stairways inside homes.
Helicopters were also scrambled to carry out rescues in neighbouring Oliva.
The River Girona had burst its banks overnight, causing flooding in several municipalities, including Els Poblets.
Almost 132mm in an hour
Aemet recorded 131.9mm of rain in just one hour at Oliva beach.
L’Atzubia reportedly received up to 700mm in less than 36 hours, while several locations around Pego, Real de Gandia, Villalonga and Barx exceeded 500mm over 48 hours.
A fresh ES-Alert mobile warning was sent at around 7am on Monday to residents in La Safor and La Marina Alta as persistent rainfall renewed the flood threat.
Authorities urged people to avoid rivers, ravines, seafronts and flooded roads, and not to enter basements or garages or use lifts.
Residents in flooded properties were instructed to move to upper floors and follow emergency services’ directions.
