Major search operation underway after two people were ‘swept away by river' following storm at Spanish holiday hotspot
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A MAJOR search operation is underway after two people went missing at a Spanish holiday hotspot hit by torrential rains.
Rescuers fear that both people were swept away by the Foix River in Cubelles near Barcelona amid heavy storms.
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Footage shows rescuers in a helicopter looking for the missing people over the river
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Two people were missing in Catalonia on Saturday after much of the region in northeast Spain was hit by torrential rains
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The river is said to have burst its banks after floodgates on the dam were opened due to heavy rain
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DANA has caused catastrophic flash flooding in Catalonia near Barcelona
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A car remains submerged in water due to heavy rains on July 12
Credit: Getty
The river is said to have burst its banks after floodgates on the dam, which had accumulated a lot of water from the storm, were opened.
According to the Fire Department, the missing people were crossing the river on a footbridge when the current swept them away.
Footage shows rescuers in a helicopter looking for the missing people over the river.
Torrential rains have hit Spain's Catalonia - sparking a red alert from the weather department.
Train service was suspended in Catalonia on Saturday, as much of the Spanish region was placed on high alert over possible torrential rains, officials said.
Spain's weather service Aemet said that 90 millimetres of rain could fall in the space of an hour later on Saturday near Barcelona and the Tarragona region.
Calling the situation "extraordinary", the weather service warned that torrential rains could cause flooding and urged residents to follow authorities' instructions.
Meanwhile, a hospital in Barcelona was flooded and had to refuse patients.
Roads were blocked, and a plane that took off from Barcelona for the United States had to turn back after its nose was damaged by hail.
Other regions of the north, such as Aragon, were also hit by heavy rain on Saturday.
Spain storm and hail warning as 100mm of rain falls in an hour at tourist hotspot
It comes as Storm DANA has caused the weather agency to activate red, orange and yellow warnings across dozens of Spanish regions.
AEMET forecasted orange-level warnings on Saturday for severe storms in Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, and Castellón.
These regions have been battered by extreme rainfall and potential flash floods, which could disrupt holidays and cause huge damage to neighbourhoods.
The Military Emergency Unit (UME) was deployed to several towns in Zaragoza to help relieve the damage caused by the brutal rainfall.
Local rescue teams reported over 30 flood-related incidents, including fallen trees and blocked roads, but no casualties.
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A flooded road near the village of Grisen, Aragon, northeastern Spain
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Floodwater flows as it rains in Igualada, Spain
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A firefighter extracts water from the Hospital Comarcal de l'Alta Penedés, which remains without electricity and water
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People cross a street during a rainfall in Barcelona, Catalonia, eastern Spain
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Shocking footage showed cars being swept away under the waves as intense rainfall pummelled Spanish streets.
Hailstorm was seen pelting the pavements as locals took shelter from the dangerous weather.
There will also be storm warnings in several other regions, including Alicante and Valencia, the Ribera del Ebro in La Rioja and the Iberian Rioja, and Álava, among others.
Spain's national forecaster said that unstable air was moving across the north and east of the Iberian Peninsula, bringing heavy showers, thunderstorms, and in some places, torrential downpours.
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