Storm Dana lashes Spain: missing, floods, and destruction

Storm Dana Floods Spain

 Storm Dana lashes Spain: Missing, Floods, and Destruction

Various areas in northern and southern Spain have been hit by torrential flooding caused by Storm Dana, which has been battering the country since Thursday. The flooding has left several people missing, caused widespread destruction, and floodwaters have swept away several cultivated areas.

Heavy rain, hail, and thunderstorms caused flooding that blocked roads, halted train services, and caused extensive material damage. The Spanish news agency EFE reported that the storm triggered landslides that damaged several roads.

Catalonia, Aragon, Navarre, and Castile and Leon have been hit by heavy rains since Saturday morning, causing significant material damage, but no confirmed deaths have been recorded so far. According to El Pais, 25 provinces have declared a state of maximum alert due to the storm, which has been battering Spain since Thursday. Rescue teams in Catalonia announced the loss of two people who were swept away by the Vois River in Barcelona.

Renfe also announced the suspension of all train services in Catalonia due to flooding, indicating that services would gradually resume after 9:00 PM on Sunday. In the Aragon region, the worst-affected, heavy rain and hailstorms caused flooding that swept through streets and required the intervention of military emergency units in several areas, according to Spanish radio station Cadena Ser.

The storm left behind pools of water and floods up to two meters high, submerging cars and trucks. Firefighters were able to rescue eight people trapped inside their homes and vehicles. The flooding also caused highway closures and power outages to more than 600 homes.

The Aragonese regional government had activated a level 2 state of emergency before the storm, calling in Civil Protection volunteers and sending red alerts to the mobile phones of residents living near rivers. In the Basque Country, more than 400 children were evacuated from summer camps as a precaution to protect them from the heavy rains. In Valencia, two women sheltering under a tree were struck by lightning and taken to the hospital for treatment.

Floods swept through many cultivated areas and destroyed farmers' crops in the Tarragona region, according to Roberto Bermudas de Castro, the Interior Minister. He called for the area to be declared a disaster area to protect farmers and compensate them. Air traffic was also affected, with several planes heading to cities hit by Storm Dana having to turn back.

Videos circulated on social media documenting the extent of the devastation caused by the rains. In a post on his X platform, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged citizens to exercise caution and avoid all but essential travel in the northern and eastern regions of the country.