At least two people have died as a result of flooding in eastern Spain

A violent storm has flooded roads and villages in south-eastern Spain. People are fleeing the floodwaters onto rooftops; at least four people have died. On Mallorca, the storm was less severe than feared. During severe storms in parts of Spain, particularly in the provinces of Valencia and Alicante, huge amounts of rain have fallen. In some places, the authorities reported more than 600 litres per square metre in 24 hours. According to the Spanish meteorological service Aemet, this is roughly double the amount of rainfall that normally falls in the Alicante region over an entire year. In the coastal town of Oliva, around 70 kilometres south of Valencia, a 79-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man lost their lives. Over the weekend, one person had already died in Sagunto, north of Valencia, and a woman in Cabrera de Mar in Catalonia. As reported by the Spanish TV channel RTVE, some people were trapped in flooded buildings, with some waiting on rooftops to be rescued. The regional government declared the second-highest emergency level. “It is impossible to get around; you must stay at home. There is heavy, persistent rainfall causing severe flooding,” warned Juan Carlos Valterrama, head of civil protection in Valencia. The storms are moving further north The situation is particularly critical in Oliva: according to the mayor, around 2,000 people were evacuated from seven campsites there. The fire service also rescued people from flooded buildings. In the Balearic Islands, which include Ibiza and Mallorca, the situation has calmed down following heavy rainfall at the weekend. The storm was not as severe there as feared, and no major damage has been reported. The authorities had suspended school lessons on Mallorca, Ibiza and Formentera as a precautionary measure. The hottest summer since records began Air traffic to and from Mallorca is running largely as normal, with only occasional delays. The weather there is expected to improve again by the middle of the week. According to experts, advancing climate change is also leading to more frequent and severe extreme weather events, such as heavy rain, in Spain. According to the Spanish meteorological service Aemet, September was the hottest on the Spanish mainland since records began. Furthermore, Aemet reports that Spain experienced its hottest summer on record this year. With information from Franka Welz, ARD Madrid