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Spain swamped by floods as two-hour rain deluge leaves drivers trapped and streets underwater as emergency declared

Spain swamped by floods as two-hour rain deluge leaves drivers trapped and streets underwater as emergency declared

Scottish Sun04-06-2025

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THIS is the moment a major Spanish city was pummelled by a torrential downpour, causing floods that have brought the place to a near standstill.
The heavy rain battered Valladolid on Tuesday, leading to jaw-dropping scenes as residents tried to battle the elements.
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A bridge became completely flooded as cars were brought to a halt
Credit: @volcaholic1 / X
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Some residents were forced to push their cars through the water
Credit: @volcaholic1 / X
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Passengers had to wade to get to the bus
Credit: @volcaholic1 / X
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Cars were partially submerged by the water
Credit: @volcaholic1 / X
Streets quickly flooded with water throughout the city, causing chaos among motorists.
Within the space of just one hour between 7pm and 8pm, emergency services got more than 200 calls, local media has reported.
The scale of the flooding has seen the city placed under a state of emergency by Spanish authorities.
Cars were gridlocked as the rain came pouring down, cascading over the side of a bridge into a powerful looking waterfall.
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Tunnels became fully flooded, with one car even getting trapped inside, Castilla y León Emergency Services told local media.
One viral clip shows the extreme lengths some motorists were forced to go to as the water made driving impossible.
Some residents were seen nearly waist-deep in water trying to push their vehicles through the relentless downpour.
Elsewhere, public transport passengers were no more insulated from the shocking weather.
Residents were forced to uncomfortably wade through the flooded streets to board the bus.
Shopkeepers throughout Valladolid were spotted hard at work to stop their stores from being overwhelmed by the floods.
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A state of emergency has been issued in the city
Credit: @volcaholic1 / X
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No injuries have been reported as a result of the flooding
Credit: @volcaholic1 / X
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Two men were seen enjoying a beer on the road
Credit: X / @ShayP_Cormac
They can be seen rolling up their sleeves and grabbing buckets to try and stem the flooding at their shops.
But other residents didn't let the poor weather stop them having a good time.
One clip shows two men sat on reclining chairs in the middle of the road, enjoying a bottle of beer and seemingly oblivious to the elements.
While no injuries have been reported as a result of the flooding, the freak weather has put emergency responders on high alert.
As much as 16 square litres of rain per square metre has battered the Spanish city, local media has reported.
It comes just weeks after another popular Spanish spot was pounded by the elements.
Towns across the Valencia region were hit by a ghastly storm last month that made some areas look almost arctic.
Footage shared across social media showed pounding hail and gushing rainwater surging through the region's towns.
White hailstones coated themselves along the streets, rendering several towns almost empty outdoors.
Cars left on the streets were covered in thick layers of hail.
Spain was also hit by a massive blackout that affected most of the country - as well as neighbouring Portugal - on April 28.
It saw airports and hospitals shut down and trains brought to a halt across the Iberian peninsula.
Officials blamed a "rare atmospheric phenomenon" for the incident.
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The streets were turned to rivers throughout the city
Credit: X / @meteoclimaesp

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The foreign language currently the most popular among GCSE students
The foreign language currently the most popular among GCSE students

The Independent

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  • The Independent

The foreign language currently the most popular among GCSE students

Spanish has surpassed French as the most popular foreign language at GCSE level, new figures indicate. Provisional data for England reveals a 1.9 per cent decrease in French GCSE entries this summer, falling from 130,650 last year to 128,155 this year. German GCSE entries have also declined by 7.6 per cent, from 35,110 to 32,430. Conversely, Spanish GCSE entries have risen by 1.6 per cent, from 129,935 in the summer of 2024 to 131,985 this summer, according to Ofqual data. A school leaders' union suggests that the increasing popularity of Spanish may be attributed to students' familiarity with the language due to the popularity of Spain, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands as holiday destinations. At the A-level, French and German entries have also decreased by 8.3 per cent and 6.8 per cent, respectively, while Spanish A-level entries have increased by 1.4 per cent. Overall, the total number of entries for this summer's GCSE and A-level exams has decreased, according to the data released on Thursday. GCSE provisional entries have fallen by 0.6 per cent from 5,811,595 in summer 2024 to 5,777,020 this summer. Meanwhile, A-level entries have decreased by 0.4 per cent from 825,355 last summer to 821,875 this summer. The decrease for GCSE entries this summer is because of a drop in entries for subjects in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measure as well as non-EBacc subjects, England's exams regulator Ofqual said. The EBacc is a performance measure which aims to ensure pupils take English, maths, science, a humanities subject and a language at GCSE. GCSE entries for computing – an EBacc subject – have decreased by 4.7 per cent on last year, while entries for history are down by 5.9 per cent on last summer. In March, the interim report of the independent curriculum and assessment review said it will consider whether the EBacc remains 'effective'. The review suggested that the EBacc may 'constrain the choice of students' in school, and it could limit their access to vocational and arts subjects. The provisional figures also show GCSE entries for art and design subjects are down by 1.7 per cent on last year, and GCSE entries for drama are down 1.5 per cent. Pepe Di'Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'The rising popularity of Spanish as a choice for GCSE probably reflects the fact that many young people may be more familiar with the Spanish language, because of the popularity of Spain, the Balearics and Canary Islands as holiday destinations, than they are with French and German. 'That then tends to be reinforced by what friends and siblings are studying. 'The growing popularity of Spanish is really good news as there has been a long-term decline in modern foreign languages, but we do need to do more at a national level to boost language learning more generally.' The top 10 most popular GCSEs based on entries is unchanged from last year, with combined science in first place follow by maths, English language, English literature, history, geography, religious studies, art & design, biology and chemistry. Outside the top 10, business studies has moved up from 14th place in 2024 to 13th this year, while PE has risen from 17th to 16th. French has dropped two places from 12th to 14th, with Spanish moving up from 13th to 12th. Vicky Gough, schools adviser at the British Council, said: 'Spanish has grown in importance for the UK, both as a key global business language and through its popularity in tourism. 'It is now the second most widely spoken first language in the world. 'At the same time, we've seen a steady, if uneven, decline in the uptake of French and German, with German falling significantly year on year. 'Many pupils perceive Spanish as easier to learn and recognise its global reach and usefulness. 'While the rise of Spanish is encouraging, the decline in French and German is a real concern. 'These languages are spoken in the UK's two largest non-English-speaking trading partners and continue to be highly valued by employers.' Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at school leaders' union NAHT, said: 'It is hard to know for sure why entries have dropped in certain subjects – there is always some variability year on year. 'But one possibility is that with recruitment challenges really biting in schools, some simply don't have the teachers they need to offer courses in certain subjects. 'Teacher recruitment targets were missed in computing, chemistry, physics and modern foreign languages in the last couple of years, and these are among the subjects which experienced a fall in entries. 'This underlines the need for the Government to address head on the fundamental causes of the recruitment and retention crisis gripping schools, which ultimately affects students as well as increasingly stretched leaders and teachers.'

Second-by-second breakdown of Air India jet disaster from mayday call to horror crash – all within a minute of takeoff
Second-by-second breakdown of Air India jet disaster from mayday call to horror crash – all within a minute of takeoff

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Second-by-second breakdown of Air India jet disaster from mayday call to horror crash – all within a minute of takeoff

Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE final moments of the doomed Air India plane that smashed into a doctors' hostel have been revealed, with at least 204 bodies recovered from the site. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 passengers on board - including 53 Brits - smashed into a doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad in the west of India. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 17 People look at the debris of the Air India plane crash 17 Firefighters work at the site of a plane crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport Credit: EPA/SIDDHARAJ SOLANKI 17 The plane was headed to London Gatwick when it crashed just moments after take-off. A city police commissioner said there are unlikely to be any survivors - with many passengers still trapped under the rubble. But a Brit man, Ajay Kumar Vishwash, 40, cheated death after jumping off the flaming jet - walking away with minor injuries. It comes as... read more news CRASH MIRACLE Watch Brit survivor WALK AWAY from India crash after jumping from flaming jet Here is a second-by-second breakdown of the doomed plane's journey. 9:00:50 - Aircraft ready for take-off The Air India plane is scheduled to take off at 9:09 BST from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, ready to head to London Gatwick with 242 passengers and crew on board. Passengers on the Air India flight include 217 adults, 11 children and two infants, according to a source. Of them, 53 are Brits, 169 Indian nationals, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. 09:04:12 - Plane picks up speed on the runway Around four minutes after the aircraft was recorded stationary on the ground, the plane begins to pick up speed, increasing by around 11MPH on the runway. 17 Plane captured on CCTV picking up speed on runway The flight is scheduled to make a nine-hour 50 minute non-stop journey to the London airport. 9:08:50 - Plane departs The Air India flight takes off, headed to London Gatwick. 17 The plane departs just before 9:09 It has a sudden climb to 625ft and moving at around 200mph. To make that climb at such speed is "highly irregular," according to Lt. Col. John R. Davidson, former U.S. Air Force pilot and editor of Felons Assistance and commercial aviation safety consultant. He said: "From the data available, AIC171 appears to have reached takeoff speed — but not altitude. "To be at 625 feet at over 170 knots [196MPH] more than four minutes after rolling out is highly irregular. "This suggests either a very late rotation or a stall shortly after takeoff." Milliseconds later - Pilots give mayday call It is at the brief climb to around 625ft that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the highly experienced pilot, and Clive Kundar, his co-pilot, issue a mayday call. 17 Pilots issued a mayday call in the air Credit: X The pilots had almost 10,000 hours of flying experience between them. Helicopter pilot Seun Komolafe revealed what the pilots could have seen in the cockpit that prompted the mayday call. She told Sky News: "[The mayday call] tells me that they were able to gather data in that short moment and realise that something wasn't going quite right and they were able to communicate it to themselves, first of all, and also to air traffic control to let them know that there was an issue." And Prof. Graham Braithwaite, the director of aerospace and aviation at Cranfield University, said: "Take-off is a critical stage because the aircraft is still accelerating and any problem-solving requires a rapid response. "Although take-off is a critical stage of flight, aircraft accidents are incredibly rare, especially involving modern aircraft types such as the Boeing 787." 08:08:51 - Last signal received The plane's transponder signal drops seconds after leaving the runway, according to Flightradar24. 17 The plane's transponder signal drops seconds after leaving the runway Credit: X Controllers make subsequent calls to the mayday but receive no response, civil authorities said. Prof Paul Williams, Professor of Atmospheric Science, University of Reading, said: "At the time of the departure, the weather conditions at the airport appear to have been very good. "It was a dry and sunny day in Ahmedabad, with temperatures near 40°C. "There was good visibility and light winds from the west. There was no bad weather in the vicinity. "There is no indication at this stage that turbulence or other weather conditions were a factor in the crash." Less than 60 seconds later - Plane hits BJ Medical College campus Less than a minute after the initial take-off, the Air India plane plunges to the ground just a few hundred yards from the end of the runway. 17 The plane crashed and erupted into flames Credit: x/nchorAnandN 17 Part of the plane seen on fire after the crash Credit: X 17 The plane smashed into BJ Medical College campus Credit: x/mitrapredator Medical students at BJ Medical College campus are having a lunch break in the dining room when the plane smashes onto a part of the building. It explodes into a gargantuan fireball, with plumes of thick back smoke billowing from the crash site. Lt. Col. 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"Whatever happened, it happened fast, and right at the most critical phase of flight." Captain Saurabh Bhatnagar, a former senior pilot, said that footage of the doomed plane's descent "looked like a case of multiple bird hits wherein both the engines have lost power". 17 A view of the site where a plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport Credit: Getty 17 Rescuers work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state Credit: AP He told NDTV: "The takeoff was perfect. "And just, I believe, short of taking the gear up, the aircraft started descending, which can happen only in case the engine loses power or the aircraft stops developing lift." The potential cause of the horror crash has divided experts, with aviation specialist Sanjay Lazar explaining how the Boeing Dreamliner was just 11 years old, suggesting that the plane having underlying technical issues is unlikely. He said that a bird strike "would explain why the aircraft did not have the power to lift," adding: "If there were multiple bird hits on take-off, it probably could not have gone beyond the 6-7 minute threshold and started falling." Meanwhile, among pilots, aviation experts have said that it sounded as if the aircraft's Ram Air Turbine - an emergency wind turbine - had been deployed just moments before the tragedy. There is to likely be a joint investigation to uncover the cause of the crash, according to aviation lawyer and Partner at UK law firm Stewarts, Peter Neenan. He said: "In due course, the Indian Directorate of General Civil Aviation will begin their investigation. "The US National Transportation Safety Board will assist in that investigation and given the number of deaths of British nationals, we would expect the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch to also assist." These kinds of investigations "routinely take two or more years to complete," he added. 17 Rescuers work at the site of a plane crash near Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport

Heartbroken mum warns of killer mistake to never make with newborn babies after daughter dies from common infection
Heartbroken mum warns of killer mistake to never make with newborn babies after daughter dies from common infection

Scottish Sun

time25 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

Heartbroken mum warns of killer mistake to never make with newborn babies after daughter dies from common infection

The virus can be very serious for a young baby, whose immune system will not have fully developed to fight off the virus - find out warning signs of the infection below 'TRAUMATISING' Heartbroken mum warns of killer mistake to never make with newborn babies after daughter dies from common infection Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A HEARTBROKEN mum is warning others of a common mistake made with newborns after losing her daughter to a deadly infection. Hailey Riches, 25, knew there was something wrong with Violet Constantinou after she refused to feed and had yellow skin. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 At eight days old, it was discovered that Violet had neonatal herpes Credit: SWNS 5 Doctors noticed the newborn was having acute liver failure so was made highest priority for a liver transplant Credit: SWNS She was advised to take Violet to hospital as she "started getting worse". At eight days old it was discovered from a series of tests she had contracted neonatal herpes (HSV-1) - a serious infection in newborns caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). Violet was immediately given anti-viral medication, but her condition quickly deteriorated, and she began to experience seizures. She was consequently taken to Southampton Hospital where she was placed in intensive care. Doctors noticed the newborn was having acute liver failure and despite being put on highest priority in the UK for a liver transplant she tragically died at one month old while still waiting. They told mum Hailey and dad Dimitri Constantinou, 30, they would never know where the herpes came from. Hailey and her fiancé have vowed to spread awareness for people with cold sores, or those prone to the virus, to keep away from newborn babies. Hailey said: "I do see it online many times people saying 'but why can't we kiss a baby?' when it is not their baby - it frustrates me because of having gone through this situation. "This is why you have to be slightly protective and be aware. If you have got a cold sore don't go near a baby because it is deadly and can kill them. "This is not to scare new mums or pregnant women. It is to say if you are not feeling right in yourself and if the baby is not feeling right then to be persistent and get it checked." I kissed someone for the first time in a year and was left in a devastating state Hailey added: "I don't have genital herpes, none of my family or myself had a cold sore outbreak. They said it is most likely from an outsource but they are not sure who. "Anyone can spread the virus without even knowing. Even if you have got no symptoms you might still pass it on." From a normal pregnancy to critical ordeal Hailey Riches who works as a specialty coordinator for NHS said she had a "normal" pregnancy and gave birth to daughter Violet via an emergency caesarean on March 22, 2023. Despite the newborn seeming "fine and well", once the family returned home, mum Hailey noticed that Violet started to feed less, looking fatigued and had a yellow skin. A health visitor advised Hailey to take her to Worthing Hospital - where she was checked with a jaundice machine. The newborn was sent home but everything "started to get worse", explained Hailey. At eight days old, Violet was still having troubles feeding, so Hailey took her back into hospital, where a nurse discovered she had a high temperature. At that point mum Hailey was admitted with sepsis. This led to blood checks and a lumber puncture, which revealed that Violet had neonatal herpes (HSV-1) - a serious infection in newborns caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). It can be contracted before, during, or after birth. Type 1 (HSV-1) is mostly spread by oral contact through kissing, sharing drinks or utensils, and causes infections in or around the mouth, like cold sores. Violet was immediately given anti-viral medication, but her condition quickly deteriorated, and she began to experience seizures. On April 1, she was taken to Southampton Hospital where she was placed in intensive care. Hailey, of Billingshurst, Sussex, said: "The doctors said that we will be lucky to see her survive the next 24 to 48 hours. 5 At one month old Violet tragically died, still waiting for a liver transplant Credit: SWNS 5 The couple were told they would never find out what caused the infection Credit: SWNS 5 On August 16, 2024, Hayley and her fiancé Dimitri welcomed daughter Lily into the world Credit: SWNS "She was deteriorating further and then they decided to flew her by helicopter to King's College Hospital in London because they realised she was having acute liver failure." Violet was put on highest priority in the UK for a liver transplant but tragically died on April 21 while still waiting. Hayley said: "It was absolutely traumatising. The worst time of our family's life - I don't think our family has ever gone through such a traumatic time. "Every day something was happening and she was deteriorating further - it affected her brain, her lungs, she then had a cardiac arrest at one point where we watched her being resuscitated for nine minutes. "It just got worse and worse and it was time to say goodbye at the end." Doctors told mum Hailey and dad Dimitri, who works as a driver for builders merchants, they would never know where the herpes came from. Anyone can spread the virus without even knowing. Even if you have got no symptoms you might still pass it on Hailey Riches Hailey added: "I don't have genital herpes, none of my family or myself had a cold sore outbreak. They said it is most likely from an outsource but they are not sure who. "Anyone can spread the virus without even knowing. Even if you have got no symptoms you might still pass it on." On August 16, 2024, Hayley and her fiancé welcomed daughter Lily into the world. But Hailey explained she was "terrified" during the first months of giving birth following her experience with Violet. She said: "I had consultants telling me the first six weeks are crucial to protect her because they have no immune system. "I had always said to people no kissing, wash your hands when you come in or if you want to hold her. We were very protective because of the situation we went through. "I do see it online many times people saying 'but why can't we kiss a baby?' when it is not their baby - it frustrates me because of having gone through the situation. "This is why you have to be slightly protective and be aware. If you have got a cold sore don't go near a baby because it is deadly and can kill them. "This is not to scare new mums or pregnant women. It is to say if you are not feeling right in yourself and if the baby is not feeling right then to be persistent and get it checked." Hailey concluded: "Thank you to Southampton General Hospital, the Pediatric Unit and Ronald McDonald charity who accommodated us in Southampton and London during these tragic times."

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