ALCANAR, Spain (Reuters) – An intense rain storm on Wednesday wreaked havoc in several parts of Spain, causing severe flooding in some towns, leaving thousands of people without electricity and forcing the closure of some roads and rail links.
The storm, which gained strength due to high temperatures and humidity, hit especially hard in the coast town of Alcanar in the northeastern region of Catalonia.
Some streets turned into torrents, with a powerful stream of water pushing cars, furniture and trees towards the coastline. Emergency personnel rescued dozens of people trapped in vehicles, houses and camping facilities, and a sports arena was set up to shelter people if needed, officials said.
No fatalities have been reported.
Two people were treated for mild hypothermia, local emergency head Ricard Exposito told a media briefing, adding that emergency services had received over 350 calls in a seven-hour span.
Around 7,000 homes in the area lost electricity service while several roads and rail links were interrupted.
Intense rain and flooding was also reported in the central Castilla-La Mancha and Navarra regions, halting the high-speed rail link between the Spanish capital Madrid and Toledo, rail administrator Adif tweeted.
(Reporting by Joan Faus in Barcelona, Eva Manez in Alcanar and Lorena Sopena in Amposta; Writing by Joan Faus; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
