In less than half an hour, torrents of water and mud swept through the city center.
In Alcanar in Spain, a seaside resort in southern Catalonia, violent localized thunderstorms hit this Wednesday, September 1, in the middle of the day, causing exceptional torrential rains.
Almost 200 mm of precipitation fell in less than two hours, drowning streets and roads.
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On social networks, many residents of the city have captured impressive scenes of cars swept by the waves, cafe terrace furniture sliding down alleys at full speed. The local authorities triggered the flood emergency plan and asked the local population not to leave their homes. Civil protection teams and firefighters carried out several evacuations by helicopter. The meteorological services fear another stormy episode with heavy rainfall in the next few hours.