Two dead and one missing as record rainfall floods areas of Catalonia

Emergency crews were searching for a missing person in Pineda de Mar on Sunday, while authorities warned that the danger had not passed, particularly in the north-east of the region. Barcelona recorded its wettest day in a series of rainfall observations dating back to 1883.

Restrictions introduced on Saturday evening have since been lifted in 12 districts as conditions improved. However, emergency measures remained in place until 2pm on Sunday in Alt Empordà, Baix Empordà, Garrotxa, Gironès, Pla de l’Estany, Selva, Maresme and Vallès Oriental. Authorities continued to urge caution even in areas where restrictions had ended. 

Fatalities in Tordera and Montornès

In Tordera, a 65-year-old man died when a wall collapsed at a campsite while he was pumping out floodwater, according to the town’s mayor, Elisabet Megias.

‘Attempts were made to resuscitate him, but ultimately nothing more could be done to save his life,’ she told RTVE’s Canal 24 Horas.

Catalan President Salvador Illa initially confirmed the death, saying: ‘Unfortunately, we have to mourn a fatality in Tordera.’ He subsequently offered his condolences to the victims’ families in a message on X.

A second death, in Montornès del Vallès, was announced by Oriol Corbella, head of intervention operations for the Catalan fire service. Corbella also said that ‘at least’ one person was missing in the Pineda stream in Pineda de Mar, where a search operation had been established.

Illa warned that ‘the situation remains complicated, especially in the northern half of Catalonia’, and called on residents to ‘exercise the utmost caution and follow the instructions’ of the authorities.

In Tordera, Megias said officials were closely monitoring waterways and the risk of further flooding.

‘We are monitoring the streams and the channels of the rivers and tributaries. The water is now flowing at 250 cubic metres per second. Six years ago, during Storm Gloria, it reached 450. We are monitoring the hydrological risk at all times. We ask the public to respect the mobility restrictions so that Civil Protection can also reach all the places where it is needed without difficulty,’ she said.

River warnings as the storm moves north-east

Civil Protection sent successive ES-Alert messages to mobile phones on Sunday, warning both of torrential rainfall and the threat of rivers overflowing.

One alert targeted people near the Besòs river in Barcelona, Montcada i Reixac, Santa Coloma de Gramenet and Sant Adrià del Besòs. Residents were instructed to keep away from the river under all circumstances and, if floodwater reached their buildings, to avoid basements and ground floors and move upstairs.

On Sunday morning, the lower Besòs was carrying 903 cubic metres of water per second at Santa Coloma de Gramenet, with the water reaching a height of 3.5 metres — well above the safe level.

A further alert covering Vallès Oriental, Maresme and the coastal stretch towards Baix Empordà warned of ‘torrential rain’. It told residents to avoid ‘any travel’, ‘take extreme precautions’ and call 112 in an emergency.

In the Girona area, another mobile warning highlighted the ‘worrying’ condition of the Ridaura and Daró rivers and instructed people to stay away from their surroundings. Civil Protection also appealed for ‘great caution’ as the most active part of the storm became concentrated over north-eastern Catalonia.

The original emergency measures had been scheduled to run from 8pm on Saturday to 2pm on Sunday across 20 districts. They restricted non-essential journeys and suspended a range of outdoor, sporting, cultural and leisure activities. 

Barcelona’s highest daily rainfall since records began

The scale of the downpour was reflected in exceptional readings across Barcelona and nearby towns.

The Can Bruixa weather station in Barcelona’s Les Corts district recorded 213 millimetres, while the Raval station registered 193 litres per square metre. One millimetre of rainfall is equivalent to one litre per square metre.

‘We have records for the city of Barcelona dating back to 1883, from different stations across the city, but the Can Bruixa figure is the highest ever recorded since then. It is a record for the wettest day,’ said Sarai Sarroca, director of the Catalan Meteorological Service, Meteocat.

Sarroca described the system as a ‘disturbance of tropical origin’, saying it represented a ‘change in the climatic scenario’ in Catalonia.

Elsewhere, Granollers recorded 248 litres per square metre, including 68 millimetres in just half an hour. Mataró registered 244 millimetres and Cabrils 232 millimetres.

Ahead of the worst rainfall on Saturday, Sarroca had warned that the centre of an exceptional weather system was over the Mediterranean and that a ‘mini-hurricane’ could move inland over Catalonia.

Hospitals flooded and thousands of emergency calls

Flooding affected operations at both Granollers General Hospital and Blanes Hospital, prompting the Catalan government to advise people needing hospital care to consider alternative facilities.

For those who would normally attend Granollers, the Health Department recommended hospitals in Mollet del Vallès, Mataró, Vic or Sant Celoni.

Firefighters also intervened at Blanes Hospital, where the lower part of the building was completely flooded.

The 112 emergency number received 5,904 calls overnight. By 9.45am on Sunday, Bombers had dealt with 1,423 incidents, including flood rescues, evacuations, water entering homes and collapsing walls.

The Medical Emergency System, SEM, said it had attended to 237 people affected by the storm, with no serious cases reported in that tally.

Homes were inundated and vehicles submerged in Bellvitge, in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, and in Cornellà, near Barcelona. Floodwater also accumulated on motorways around the city, where ducks were seen swimming across waterlogged sections.

Transport and events disrupted

The storm caused widespread disruption to the rail network, with local train services affected and high-speed services also interrupted. Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat announced a suspension of its trains from 8pm on Saturday until 2pm on Sunday.

Road closures included the C-16 at Vallvidrera following a landslide, and the C-60 near La Roca del Vallès.

Barcelona-El Prat airport also experienced flight cancellations and delays on Saturday. Shops closed early, football fixtures were called off and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu cancelled a performance of Verdi’s Aida.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed support for those affected and thanked the emergency teams.

‘My thanks to everyone working to keep us safe, and a call for caution. Let us avoid unnecessary journeys and follow the guidance of official emergency accounts,’ he wrote on X.