Severe flooding has hit Madrigueras in Spain’s Albacete province after intense rainfall inundated the town, swept vehicles through streets and forced emergency crews to carry out around 90 rescues.
Tragically, a casualty was recorded where a 102-year-old woman died after floodwater entered her home and rose to more than a metre inside the property, according to Castilla-La Mancha authorities.
The town recorded 142 litres of rain per square metre during the storm. El País reported that the rainfall was recorded over about two and a half hours, overwhelming the local drainage system and causing widespread flooding.
Floodwater spread through streets and entered homes and other buildings, while the force of the water carried vehicles from their positions. The Guardia Civil confirmed that the heavy rainfall caused flooding on urban and interurban roads and swept vehicles along with the water.
Emergency services responded throughout Friday afternoon and into the night as residents became trapped by rapidly rising water. Around 90 people were rescued, mainly from homes affected by the flooding, according to the regional government.
Firefighters, Guardia Civil officers, Protección Civil, Cruz Roja and other emergency personnel were involved in the response. Authorities also activated the METEOCAM emergency plan at Operational Situation 1 as conditions deteriorated.
By Saturday, emergency teams had begun cleaning affected areas and removing vehicles damaged or displaced by the floodwater. The Guardia Civil's public safety unit remained deployed to support the recovery operation.
Several roads around Madrigueras were also affected. The CM-316 and AB-105 were reopened after being closed, while the CM-3222 remained closed at kilometre 5, according to Spain's 112 emergency service.
The flooding occurred amid a wider spell of severe weather affecting parts of eastern Spain, with heavy rain and thunderstorms prompting weather warnings in several regions.
For Madrigueras, however, the immediate emergency has given way to the difficult task of clearing flooded streets, removing damaged vehicles and assessing the extent of the damage left by the storm.
