Two people dead as ‘mini-hurricane’ brings devastating floods to Spain

DAILYMAIL.COM • 3h ago

By KATHERINE LAWTON, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER 12:15 04 Oct 2026, updated 12:22 04 Oct 2026

Two people have died after a ‘mini-hurricane’ brought severe floods to a tourist region in Spain.

A man was confirmed dead after a wall collapsed in the town of Tordera, in the country’s Catalonia region, Catalan leader Salvador Illa said today.

Another person died in nearby Montornès del Vallès, firefighters said, while emergency services are still searching for a missing person in Pineda de Mar, a town 52km to the north of Barcelona.

Catalan authorities issued a red alert warning and urged people to stay inside from 8pm yesterday until 2pm today because a ‘mini-hurricane’ could hit the northeastern region, with more heavy rain forecast.

Homes were flooded and cars were left submerged in Bellvitge and Cornella, near Barcelona, after torrential rain yesterday.

Ducks could be seen swimming in huge puddles that formed on motorways in Barcelona.

Meanwhile, footage shows Besòs river in Sant Adrià de Besòs rising rapidly, reaching the railway bridge and carrying debris and branches along with it.

Other video taken in Pineda de Mar shows a deep stream of water gushing down a narrow residential street overnight.

Sarai Sarroca, director of regional weather service Meteocat, said yesterday that a ‘mini-hurricane’ could move over land in Catalonia.

Flights were cancelled or delayed at Barcelona Airport, local media reported yesterday.

All local trains were disrupted by the deluge – while shops shut early, football matches were called off and a performance of Verdi’s Aida at Barcelona’s Liceu opera house was cancelled.

On Friday evening, a 102-year-old woman was confirmed dead and 90 people had to be rescued following flash floods in Madrigueras.

The woman was found lifeless inside her home in the town, 120 miles north-west of Alicante.

Floodwater inside the property is said to have reached a height of more than 3ft.

Footage and photos from police showed the carnage caused by the freak weather, with cars piled up on top of each other in the centre of the town as they were battered by a wall of water.

Spain issued its highest possible weather warning on Friday and told people to stay indoors as storms threatened popular holiday hotspots on the country’s east coast.

Residents looked on helplessly from upper-floor balconies as streets turned into rivers and cars were carried away in the floodwater.

One man was filmed trying to take refuge behind his vehicle as it was caught in a violent deluge caused by the torrential rain.

Civil Guard officers in Albacete, the province of which Madrigueras is part, said: ‘The intense rainfall has caused flooding on urban and interurban roads. The large volume of water has inundated streets and swept away vehicles.’

The police force added in a warning to locals and visitors: ‘Avoid unnecessary travel and do not cross flooded areas.’

The scenes were said to be reminiscent of the floods in Valencia in 2024 caused by the DANA – a Spanish acronym for a high-altitude isolated depression – that claimed the lives of 232 people including British pensioners Don and Terry Turner.

Some 90 people were rescued from Spain’s most recent floods – most of them after becoming trapped in their homes.

The flash floods began at around 6pm on Friday. Regional government officials had sounded weather warnings but the scale of the flooding took locals by surprise.

Heavy rain and storms also affected parts of the Costa Blanca on Friday night where orange and yellow alerts were in place.

Forecasters expect the unstable weather to continue into next week, with eastern Spain and the Balearic Islands most at risk.

Residents were urged to stay indoors, avoid all unnecessary travel and steer clear of flood-prone areas, underpasses and normally dry riverbeds, which can quickly fill with water during intense downpours.

Authorities also advised people to keep a close watch on vulnerable relatives and neighbours, including elderly people, children and those with disabilities.

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