five missing, an AVE derailed and material damage

THE DANA on Spain, which floods the south and east of the Iberian Peninsula, causes floods, traffic cuts, destroyed crops and even the derailment of an AVE convoy the “most unfavorable and exceptional day” of the current meteorological episode. Flooding caused by heavy rain five missing: a truck driver in Alcudia (Valencia) and four neighbors in Letur (Albacete).

Torrential rains and thunderstorms are unleashed this Tuesday large amounts of precipitation in an “exceptional” situation which particularly affects the southern half of the peninsula and most of Levantwith red alert -the alert level of greatest danger- in Valencia and Malaga and a forecast of between 120 and 180 liters of water falling in 12 hours.

The authorities reiterated the call for caution because the abundance of rain It can be dangerous in different regions of Spainespecially in low areas and in boulevards and ravines which generally have little flow and are now seeing it very high.

The third vice-president and minister of ecological transition herself, Therese Riberahe asked through a publication on the social network “maximum caution in the Mediterranean basin” before the “worrying alerts from AEMET and the Civil Protection services”, whose advice and recommendations “we must follow”.

Four missing in Albacete

In Castile-La Mancha, the greatest amount of water fell Albacetealthough significant rains were also recorded in other provinces such as Cuenca or Ciudad Real.

The situation is particularly dramatic in Albacete, where firefighters and a Civil Guard helicopter are trying to find four people who are “not located” after the heavy rains in the city of Letur, which caused the overflow of the stream and that a waterspout crossed the urban area of ​​the commune.

In statements to EFE, the mayor of this Sierra del Segura municipality, Sergio Marín, regretted that the situation is “complicated” and indicated that in addition to these four missing people, there are thirty neighbors isolated at home, in the urban area, some of them in one of the bars in the municipality.

Marín thanked the availability of resources, such as the members of the Special Services and Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Fire Brigade (Sepei), dependent on the Provincial Delegation, who immediately arrived in the city to work on numerous alerts.

The flood, which occurred around 1 p.m., He dragged at least a dozen cars and entered several houses in the city.

A missing person in Valencia

The Civil Guard is looking for a missing truck driver at Alcudia (Valencia), one of the areas most affected by the intense rain and wind storm that hit the region this Tuesday. It concerns a man who was working with his truck and whose whereabouts are unknown.

The notice was given by an acquaintance who tried to contact him, without success.

Also in the Valencian Community, The storm forced the closure of the ports of Valencia and Sagunto.in addition to causing cuts on the A-3 and A-7 and the interruption of traffic on metro line 1 between Alginet and Castellón.

In total, more than 30 roads in the region are affected and 17 of them are completely closed to traffic, notably in La Ribera Alta, La Costera and La Hoya de Buñol.

The Valencian capital has closed its parks, gardens and cemeteries and Alicante did the same, including the Santa Bárbara Castle, while classes were suspended on all campuses of the University of Valencia and in many municipalities such as Algemesí, Crevillente, Elda or Santa Pola.

The localities particularly affected were those of Utiel, where the rains and the overflowing of the Magro river forced the mobilization of the Military Emergency Unit, and Llombai, which suffered a downpour of 200 liters per meter square in two hours.

In the Murcia region, emergency services responded to more than a hundred calls, including one to rescue a driver stuck in his vehicle in Molina de Segura, who ultimately escaped unscathed.

The capital of Murcia had to close several streets and boulevards due to flooding, in addition to facing falling branches, moving containers and other incidents.

DANA attacks Malaga

In Andalusiathe most affected provinces so far are Malaga, Granada and Almeríawith approximately 250 emergencies caused by flooding in home basements, basements, garages and roads.

In the Guadalhorce valley, in Malaga, the rains caused the river to overflow as it passed through Álora, where there were flooded houses, people trapped in their homes and many vehicles swept away by the water.

Furthermore, one of the parts of the high-speed train (AVE) which was traveling between Malaga and Madrid with 291 passengers on board derailed, without any injuries or injuries, and the travelers had to be transferred to another convoy.

In the town of El Ejido, in Almeria, a hailstorm “with rocks the size of ping-pong balls” according to farmers caused significant damage to greenhouses and affected between 4,500 hectares – according to Mayor Francisco Góngora – and 11,300 – according to the Union. small farmers and breeders.

In Granada, the majority of incidents were recorded in the Guadix area, with flooding, falling trees, damage to houses, road cuts and the interruption of trains, in addition to the interruption of traffic on roads like the A-92.

Tomorrow, another complicated day

AEMET predicts that tomorrow it will continue to rain heavily in western Andalusia, in the Strait area, in a large part of the Iberian system, in the north of the Valencian Community and in Catalonia and with less intensity in other areas of the interior of the peninsula.

During the day on Thursday, it is very likely that the dana will continue its route towards the northwest of the peninsula. near Portugal, the heaviest precipitation is therefore expected in the southwest of the peninsula, while it will decrease in the Mediterranean area and, from Friday, the outlook is uncertain, although the rains could again move towards the southeast.