A 67-year-old woman has died after drowning in severe flash floods that have caused chaos in several major Spanish holiday hotspots. The woman died after falling in a flooded street during an intense downpour in Mallorca, where she is said to have slipped and become trapped under a car as a torrent of water cascaded down the street.
Locals alerted the emergency services, but the 67-year-old sadly died. The nationality of the woman has not been confirmed, but she is believed to have lived in a small inland town 20 minutes south of Manacor. A police investigation was launched into the death.
Storm chaos across Spanish regions
Shocking footage from Spain showed flood waters ripping through several cities as strong winds battered the tourist spots, with more weather alerts issued across the country. Shocking images also showed cars submerged in muddy flood waters in Murcia, southeastern Spain.
Emergency services on the holiday island responded to around 150 incidents in the storm on Wednesday, including fallen trees and flooding. Mallorca Airport was also forced to suspend operations briefly for security reasons, leading to flight delays.
Emergency plans activated in Murcia
Torrential rain sparked flash flooding on the Costa Blanca and across Murcia, as emergency plans were activated. More than 40 litres of water poured in just one hour on Wednesday afternoon, with dramatic footage shared online showing cars struggling to pass through the deluge.
Spain's state weather agency Aemet issued an orange weather warning for intense rainfall as storms battered the region. Murcia City Council was forced to convene an emergency committee to monitor the situation. Emergency protocols were also activated in Cartagena and Molina de Segura, in Murcia, with local police and firefighters placed on alert.
Eight regions on high alert
Eight Spanish regions were placed on high alert on Wednesday amid more weather misery, according to the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET). Orange warnings were issued across Catalonia, Murcia and Valencia. Weather warnings were also issued across the Balearic Islands, including Ibiza, Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera. Strong winds also hit the Canary Islands and across the Iberian Peninsula, with heavy fog in the north and southeast of Spain.
The extreme weather follows huge thunderstorms and hailstorms that hit the Catalonia region at the end of August. The region of Camp de Tarragona faced flooding as trees fell and public transport was halted. Local media reports at the time said the strong hail and winds caused streets and plazas to flood in Carrer Joan Baptista Plana, Imperial Tàrraco, Carrer Vidal i Barraquer, Carrer d'Apodaca, and Avinguda Prat de la Riba.
