Storm Gloria claims first fatal victims in Catalonia

A 69-year-old man from Palafrugell, northern Catalonia, died on Wednesday after falling into the water at the port of Palamós, according to sources from the City Council and Civil Protection.

Another body was found in a car in the town of Jorba, outside Barcelona, as Storm Gloria claims its first lives in Catalonia. 

The first man had driven to Port Marina in Palamós to check the status of a family member's boat. Municipal sources have said the victim accessed an area of the port that had been closed off due to the danger posed by the adverse conditions. 

He parked near the boat before he is then believed to have been hit by a wave, suffering a severe blow to the head at that moment, according to the same sources. 

Port workers pulled him out of the water and medical staff attempted to resuscitate him without success.

Emergency services continue to look for a person who had fallen into the harbor while trying to moor a boat on Tuesday.

On Thursday morning, it was announced that two further people were missing due to the extreme overnight conditions, and a few hours later one of the bodies was found in the man's own car in Jorba, a small town in central Catalonia. 

Also on Thursday, police discovered the body of a 36 year old man who had been reported missing in Cabacés, outside Tarragona. Again, the man's body was found in his own car, submerged in the Montsant river. The vehicle was discovered 220 metres away from a forest trail that the victim used regularly to go to work, according to the mayor of the town.

On Thursday evening a fourth fatality in Catalonia was confirmed. A man died in Calafat, in southern Catalonia, dragged into the sea by a wave while fishing on the rocks.

In total, health services responded to 78 medical requests in the last few days as a result of the storm.