Spain, severe flooding in the South
At least 10 dead, damage to infrastructure

MALAGA – The severe floods that hit southern Spain caused at least ten deaths and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes. A nine-year-old girl is among the victims, four of whom died in Andalusia and three in the Murcia region. In Puerto Lumbreras, in Murcia, one person is missing.

The disaster was caused by extremely intense rains: according to reports from El Pais, 200 liters of water per square meter have rained in Cadiz. In an area of ​​Murcia there were 177 liters of rain per square meter and 120 in the province of Almeria. Precipitation has caused serious damage to the roads, with the collapse of two motorway bridges, blocked railways and cars that float in the flooded streets.

Rescuers had to reach many communities on rubber boats, while in Archidona the inhabitants took refuge on the roofs of houses and were rescued by helicopter. The president of the provincial government of Malaga, Elias Redondo, reported that several villages have remained isolated and that in some cases the level of waterways has risen by four meters.

According to the forecasts of the State Agency of Meteorology, the bad weather should move towards Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, where the state of alert has been declared.

(September 29, 2012)