HIBAPRESS – Agencies
The Spanish National Meteorological Agency on Friday placed the provinces of Tarragona and Castellón on red alert due to "exceptional danger" caused by heavy rains, prompting authorities to order residents of the Montsià and Baix Ebre regions in Catalonia to stay in their homes.
In an emergency message, Civil Protection in Catalonia urged the affected residents to avoid travel, seek shelter on the upper floors of buildings, and contact rescue services if needed.
The heavy rainfall, which exceeded 200 liters per square meter in some areas, caused significant water accumulation and disrupted transportation, particularly regional train services on several routes between L'Ametlla de Mar, Tarragona, and Tortosa.
Rescue teams conducted over 180 operations, including, notably, rescuing 18 people trapped in their vehicles, pumping water from flooded homes, and removing fallen trees. No injuries have been reported so far, according to local authorities.
An exceptional deployment of 140 personnel and 45 vehicles was mobilized in the Terres de l'Ebre region, under the coordination of an advanced command center established in Tortosa, where an emergency reception center with a capacity of up to 50 people was also equipped.
