Thousands of people have been evacuated in Malaga as more severe rain is anticipated in Spain, only two weeks after over 200 people were killed by flash floods in Valencia.
Authorities cautioned residents to exercise maximum caution as about 3,000 people were evacuated from locations near the banks of the Guadalhorce river in Malaga.
Spain’s national weather office, Aemet, has issued a red alert for numerous locations in southern Andalusia, including the Costa del Sol and Malaga, with 120mm of rain forecast in the next 12 hours.
Tarragona, in eastern Catalonia, is also under red warning for rain.
On Wednesday, residents received alerts on their mobile phones warning of an exceptional chance of rainfall and advising them to exercise caution and avoid travel.
As a precaution, authorities have closed over 1,000 schools and education centers in Malaga and Granada.
Antonio Sanz, Andulia’s Minister of the Presidency, stated that he wished to “appeal to civic responsibility and maximum caution”.
Vehicles in Valencia, and most recently, Girona, were swept away and left piled up after flood water swamped through the streets.
A number of other regions in southern and eastern Spain are under an amber alert with a significant risk of rain.
In Valencia, around 40 municipalities halted schools, universities, and suspended outdoor activities, including Chiva, Aldaia, and Paiporta, the towns most severely impacted by the recent catastrophic flooding.
On Wednesday, Spanish King Felipe VI paid a visit to armed personnel in Valencia who are assisting with the major clean-up efforts following the region’s tragic flooding.
Spain’s Civil Guard also reported that three people posing as relief workers were arrested near Valencia after investigators discovered a hefty bag of cannabis on them.
The flash floods two weeks ago killed at least 220 people, primarily in the eastern Valencia region, and represent the country’s greatest natural disaster in recent memory.
