Floods trap people in cars in Spain’s Catalonia region

Floods caused by torrential rain have left a number of people trapped in vehicles in Spain’s north-eastern Catalonia region, officials say.

Videos on social media have emerged showing torrents of muddy water sweeping through the towns of La Ràpita and Santa Bàrbara in the Tarragona province, and moving everything in their path.

The highest red alert has been declared in the coastal province by Spain’s national weather agency AEMET.

So far there have been no reports of any deaths or injuries.

Catalonia’s Civil Protection agency urged residents in Tarragona’s Ebro Delta to stay indoors, as AEMET warned of 180mm (7in) of rain in 12 hours in the area.

“The situation is complicated, and more rain is forecast,” Cristina Vicente, a senior official at the agency, was quoted as saying by the La Vanguardia newspaper.

Train departures from the cities of Barcelona and Valencia, in the neighbouring Valencia region, have been suspended until further notice along the mainly coastal Mediterranean Corridor.

Several regions in south-eastern Spain – including the Balearic Islands – have in recent days been battered by heavy rains and flooding.

The severe weather has been driven by Storm Alice in the western Mediterranean.