Heavy rains in Mediterranean area leave deadly toll

Heavy rains hit the Mediterranean area on Tuesday night, pushing emergency services in Catalonia to their limit, while flash flooding killing at least nine people on the island of Mallorca and leaving more than a dozen missing.

A British couple are among those who lost their lives in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, a small municipality in the east of the island. Another casualty was reported in S’Illot, in Son Servera, in the same area.

The Spanish army and Guardia Civil police officers have been deployed in Mallorca in order to join the emergency teams, as several highways and roads remain blocked by the floods.

Emergency services stretched in Catalonia

In Catalonia, firefighters carried out 276 operations from 8 pm on Tuesday and 7 am on Wednesday. Most of them, 213 in total, were in the Tarragona area, in southern Catalonia.

Emergency services received 784 calls, most reporting flooding of basements and drains, as well as incidents involving vehicles. One example, was a coach stuck in water on a main road in Vila-Seca, from which eight people had to be rescued.

The flooding also affected trains, with services on various lines brought to a halt. An intercity train going to Barcelona, for example, was forced to stop at Salou, while line 16 of the local rail network was closed for an hour between Cambrils and the Port Aventura theme park.

Catalonia's meteorology service registered 112 square meters of rainfall in Vinyols i els Arcs, in the Tarragona area, of which 22 fell in just 10 minutes. Meanwhile 73 square meters were recorded in Gurb, and 67 in Constantí.

Meanwhile, the civil protection service warned the public to take care near waterways, as the downpours have caused an increase in water levels and flow in various rivers and streams.