Floods, power cuts and rescues on the Catalan coast due to torrential rains

The storm hit hard on the Catalan coast and pre-coast, with dozens of rescues, flooded roads, and thousands of customers without power. The damage was material, with no fatalities.

A new episode of torrential rains struck the coast and pre-coast of Catalonia on Tuesday night, causing floods, road closures, and rescues of people. The damage recorded was, essentially, material, according to the authorities.

This day adds to last Saturday's, which left two dead and two missing, as well as other similar episodes in previous days and weeks. The Generalitat sent ES-Alert messages to mobile phones in the regions of Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat, Garraf, Maresme, Gironès, and La Selva, and in Tarragona to Baix Camp, Baix Ebre, Ribera d'Ebre, Terra Alta, and Tarragonès.

The rainfall began in the afternoon in the Terres de l'Ebre and the western Pre-Pyrenees, spreading to the Camp de Tarragona and, by night, to the Central Coast and the Costa Brava. The storm did not lose intensity until after 22:00 h.

In the stretch between Cunit and Vilanova i la Geltrú, the water caused a landslide and a tree to fall on a train, with no injuries. The approximately 100 passengers were evacuated to another train and circulation resumed.

The Firefighters rescued a dozen people trapped in cars on the C-12, near Xerta, and a family in Tortosa and Aldover, in a house with animals. The Interior Minister, Núria Parlon, reported two other rescues in Vandellòs and two in Cambrils.

"The water floods a road in Xerta this afternoon during the downpours that have affected regions such as Baix Ebre. The mayor of the town, Roger Avinyó, described the situation as 'apocalyptic'"

Barcelona-El Prat airport cancelled around 35 flights and recorded delays, with planes remaining for hours with passengers on board waiting to disembark.

The Catalan Traffic Service reported flooding on the C-12 in Xerta, the T-301 in Benifallet, the TV-3422 in Els Reguers, and the C-352 in the Les Franqueses del Vallès tunnel. The C-43 was closed in Benifallet due to landslides.

Renfe Cercanías provided alternative bus service for lines R14, R15, R16, and R17 during the afternoon.

In Barcelona, around 200 professionals were working to restore the power supply. The affected customers in the city numbered 2,097, and across Catalonia around 9,000: 4,000 in Baix Llobregat and 2,000 in Terres de l'Ebre. The main causes were flooding of transformation centres, water entering infrastructures, and failures in the underground low-voltage network.

The Catalan Meteorological Service (Meteocat) recorded more than 40 litres per square metre in less than 30 minutes in municipalities of Baix Camp such as Riudecanyes and Mont-roig del Camp.