Spain Catalonia flooding: Two dead and one missing after torrential rain

Two people have died and emergency workers are searching for a third after torrential rain triggered severe flooding across Catalonia, in northeastern Spain.

The storms, which struck over the weekend, caused widespread disruption, cutting off roads, cancelling flights, and forcing firefighters to respond to hundreds of urgent calls for help.

Who is affected?

Catalan regional leader Salvador Illa confirmed that one of the victims, a man, died when a wall collapsed in Tordera, a town north of Barcelona. Firefighters reported a second death in Montornès del Vallès, further inland. Meanwhile, search and rescue teams are looking for a missing person in Pineda de Mar, a coastal town roughly 52 kilometres north of Barcelona.

The scale of the deluge quickly overwhelmed local emergency services. Catalonia’s fire services said they had responded to more than 1,500 calls for assistance as the rain fell. Rivers rose rapidly, prompting officials to urge residents near the Ridaura and Darro rivers to stay inside after both waterways burst their banks. On Sunday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that the situation across the region remained "very complicated".

What caused the Catalonia floods?

The disaster followed an urgent red weather alert issued by Catalan authorities, which advised the public to remain indoors from Saturday evening until Sunday afternoon. Sarai Sarroca, the director of the regional weather service Meteocat, had warned on Saturday that an unusual weather system over the Mediterranean could behave like a "mini-hurricane" as it made landfall.

By Sunday evening, Spain's weather agency reported that the worst of the storms was beginning to ease, though emergency crews remained active across the affected areas.

How has transport and daily life been disrupted?

The storm hit towns on the outskirts of Barcelona particularly hard. In Bellvitge and Cornellà, streets quickly filled with rushing water, submerging cars and flooding the ground floors of homes. Deep pools of standing water also collected on major motorways, making driving treacherous.

Travel was heavily disrupted throughout the weekend. Widespread delays and cancellations affected flights at Barcelona airport, and local train services were suspended across much of the region.

The severe weather also brought cultural and daily activities to a halt. Local shops closed early, football matches were called off, and a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Aida at Barcelona’s famous Liceu opera house had to be cancelled.