Heavy rains hit eastern and southern Spain on Tuesday, flooding streets with muddy water and disrupting rail and air services, while Taiwan’s meteorological agency issued a warning about the possible landfall of powerful typhoon Kong-rey.
Several killed as heavy rains, flash floods slam Spain
Several bodies have been found by emergency workers in Spain’s eastern Valencia region after heavy rains caused flash floods, the head of the regional government said on Wednesday. Carlos Mazon told reporters, without saying how many:
We can confirm that some bodies have already been found.
Authorities cannot give further details until relatives are informed, he added.
Heavy rains lashed eastern and southern Spain on Tuesday, flooding streets with muddy water and disrupting rail and air travel. Footage captured by residents on smartphones and broadcast on Spanish television showed raging waters washing away cars and flooding buildings.
Witnesses also reported hail the size of tennis balls falling with such force that it caused serious damage not only to cars but also to buildings.
Some areas received more than a month’s worth of rainfall in a single day, Spanish media reported. Mazon said:
We are facing an unprecedented situation, which nobody remembers.
On Tuesday, authorities said at least seven people were missing – a lorry driver in the Valencia region and six people in the town of Letur in the eastern province of Albacete.
Crisis committee
Emergency workers backed by drones will work through the night to find the missing in Letur, central government spokeswoman in Castilla-La Mancha, Milagros Tolon told Spanish public television channel TVE. She also added:
The priority is to find these people.
Spain’s central government set up a crisis committee late Tuesday, which held its first meeting to analyse the response to the hurricane. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on X, urging people to follow the advice of the authorities:
I am closely following with concern the reports on missing persons and the damage caused by the storm in recent hours.
The government has sent the UME, a military unit specialised in rescue operations, to Valencia to help local emergency services.
Valencia City Hall said all school classes and sporting events have been suspended on Wednesday and parks will remain closed.
Twelve flights that were due to land at Valencia airport were diverted to other Spanish cities because of heavy rain and strong winds, Spanish airport operator Aena said.
Meteorologists said the storm was caused by the movement of cold air over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in intense rain clouds. The rains are expected to continue until at least Thursday.
Taiwan issues warning as powerful typhoon Kong-rey approaches
Taiwan’s meteorological agency on Wednesday issued a warning about the possible landfall of powerful typhoon Kong-rei the following day, local media reported.
The Central Meteorological Administration (CWA) of the northwestern Pacific island issued the warning for eastern Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula in the southern Pingtung County, news website Focus Taiwan reported, adding that the warning could be expanded to cover all of Taiwan.
CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin said the agency predicted the storm could hit southern Hualien county sometime between noon and Thursday evening. Chu also added:
As the storm approaches, northern and northeastern Taiwan will begin to see increasingly heavy rain, beginning on Wednesday afternoon.
At the time of the report, Kong-rey was 480 kilometres (298.2 miles) southeast of Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving northwest at 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) per hour.
The Central Meteorological Bureau also said that the mountainous areas of Yilan and Hualian counties could receive 800 to 1,200 mm of rain between October 29 and November 1.
The typhoon’s radius has increased to 320 kilometres. According to forecasters, it is the largest and most powerful typhoon in the past 20 years. The last typhoon of similar strength – Typhoon Herb – hit Taiwan in July, 1996. Its radius reached 350 kilometres, and the total amount of precipitation -1094 mm.
Scientists warn that extreme weather conditions such as heat waves and storms are becoming more intense as a result of climate change.
