Barcelona hit by torrential rain, flooding

Barcelona is the latest Spanish city to be affected by flooding, as the Catalonia region was on high alert for torrential rain. 

The city’s El Prat airport was affected by the flooding, as rail services have also been hit. Some 50 flights were cancelled or delayed, while another 17 flights had to be diverted to different airports as they could not land at El Prat.

Authorities have urged the public to refrain from travelling unless it is necessary.

Only a few days ago, the Valencia region saw disastrous floods that claimed the lives of at least 217 people, destroying homes and leading to public outrage over the authorities’ response to the catastrophe.

Rescue operations in Valencia are still underway, as emergency services must drain underground parking facilities in order to search for missing persons.

Survivors recounted walls of rushing water that turned narrow streets into death traps and spawned torrents that poured into the ground floors and garages of houses and apartment blocks.

Angry people in several towns said mobile phone alerts had not been sent out until 8:00pm on Tuesday, when serious flooding had already started.