Two people are reportedly missing in Catalonia after torrential downpour triggered widespread flooding in the northeastern Spanish region on Saturday. The downpour also disrupted rail services for several hours.
Two eye witnesses told local authorities they saw the two walk across a bridge and fall into the Foix River in Cubelles, roughly 50 kilometres from Barcelona. The fire brigade believes they were swept away by the river, and are searching for the paid near the banks and mouth of the river.
The ongoing search is being conducted by drone teams, helicopters and underwater units. Catalan regional police and Maritime Rescue teams also joined the search efforts.
The heavy rainfall mostly affected the southern part of the metropolitan area of Barcelona, and flash floods resulted in rivers overflowing in multiple areas.
Meanwhile in Vilafranca del Penedès, one of the hardest impacted areas, heavy rain caused the ground floor of the regional hospital to flood completely, affecting the hospital’s electricity supply and resulting in the closure of the emergency ward.
Flooding in Genoa, alerts issued in Poland
The town’s mayor said all emergencies at the hospital were referred to other hospitals in the area, as well as to Barcelona. He added that a 24-hour primary care centre had been set up for other types of emergencies.
Heavy rain also caused major flooding in Italy’s Genoa, particularly in the Val Polcevera area. Local authorities extended the yellow weather alert for storms, and urged citizens to remain cautious.
Is Tuscany, a yellow weather alert for hydrogeological risk and severe thunderstorms has also been extended.
Meanwhile in Poland, emergency services issued alerts for five regions in the country, as storms with powerful winds reaching 80km/h and heavy rain of up to 50mm is forecast.
On Sunday morning, the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management issued first- and second-degree storm warnings for the entire country.
The intense downpours comes days after Europe saw extreme heatwavesacross the continent, which has broken records and sparked alarm, as temperatures reached above 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the continent.
