Fears grew for the safety of residents in inland Malaga overnight as rivers continued to surge amid torrential rain brought on by Storm Francis.
A second alert was sent to mobile phones at around 10.30pm, warning of an ’emergency situation’.
It followed an earlier warning at around 3pm, warning residents along the Costa del Sol and Guadalhorce Valley that a red weather alert had been issued for both regions.
State weather agency Aemet warned of 120litres per square metre over a 12-hour period.
By Sunday evening, worrying images were emerging from Coin, Cartama, Guaro and Monda, all inland towns of Malaga that are also popular with British expats.
In Coin, a major bridge was filmed almost completely submerged by the surging river, with footage showing how it had fractured at around 11pm.
By that time, more than 390mm of rainfall per metre square had fallen in Coin.
In Monda, a series of videos shared on X showed how streets had been turned into rapids of gushing floodwater.
One apartment building was filmed filling with water, while tree branches appeared to have crashed through windows. The town experienced more than 290mm of rainfall.
It came after the Rio Grande had already burst its banks near the town of Guaro.
Meanwhile in Cartama, the Rio Guadalhorce once again burst its banks, causing widespread flooding, particularly around Estacion de Cartama.
A number of homes were evacuated in Cartama as a precaution.
It came after the Red Cross was filmed setting up an evacuation centre in the local table tennis club, featuring beds.
