Two dead and one missing as floods hit Spain's Catalonia after 'mini-hurricane' rains

Two people have died and another was missing after heavy rains and flooding in Spain’s Catalonia region, authorities said on Sunday, according to Reuters.

Catalan leader Salvador Illa confirmed in a social media message on Sunday that a man had died after a wall collapsed in Tordera, a town to the north of Barcelona. Firefighters said on Sunday that another person had died in Montornès del Vallès, while emergency services were searching for a missing person in Pineda de Mar, a town 52 km (32 miles) north of Barcelona.

Catalan authorities had issued a red alert warning people to stay inside from 8pm (1800 GMT) on Saturday until 2pm (1200 GMT) on Sunday because a “mini-hurricane” could hit the northeastern region. Sarai Sarroca, director of the regional weather service Meteocat, said the core of an exceptional weather system was over the Mediterranean.

Homes were flooded and cars left submerged in Bellvitge and Cornellà near Barcelona after torrential rain on Saturday. Flights were cancelled or delayed at Barcelona airport, La Vanguardia newspaper reported on Saturday, and all local trains were disrupted. Shops shut early, football matches were called off and a performance of Verdi’s Aida at Barcelona’s Liceu opera house was cancelled.