Dozens flee hospital as flash flooding hits Spain
Seventy-one patients were evacuated from Penedès Regional Hospital near Barcelona after a wall collapsed and the electricity supply was cut off due to the severe weather.
Emergency services launched a search operation in Cubelles for a woman and child reportedly swept away by floodwater in the swollen Foix river.
Barcelona recorded 155mm of rain in just a few hours on Saturday, with footage showing vehicles submerged and swept away by overflowing rivers.
The severe weather, caused by a DANA (High-level Isolated Depression), prompted 1,200 emergency calls and the deployment of Spain's Military Emergency Unit for disaster relief.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
4 hours ago
- The Independent
Outdoor workers demand protection as cruel heat bakes southern Europe
Cruel heat is baking southern Europe as the continent slips deeper into summer. In homes and offices, air conditioning is sweet relief. But under the scorching sun, outdoor labor can be grueling, brutal, occasionally even deadly. A street sweeper died in Barcelona during a heat wave last month and, according to a labor union, 12 other city cleaners have suffered heatstroke since. Some of Europe's powerful unions are pushing for tougher regulations to protect the aging workforce from climate change on the world's fastest-warming continent. Cleaning the hot streets Hundreds of street cleaners and concerned citizens marched through downtown Barcelona last week to protest the death of Montse Aguilar, a 51-year-old street cleaner who worked even as the city's temperatures hit a June record. Fellow street sweeper Antonia Rodríguez said at the protest that blistering summers have made her work 'unbearable.' 'I have been doing this job for 23 years and each year the heat is worse,' said Rodríguez, 56. 'Something has to be done.' Extreme heat has fueled more than 1,000 excess deaths in Spain so far in June and July, according to the Carlos III Health Institute. 'Climate change is, above all, playing a role in extreme weather events like the heat waves we are experiencing, and is having a big impact in our country,' said Diana Gómez, who heads the institute's daily mortality observatory. Even before the march, Barcelona's City Hall issued new rules requiring the four companies contracted to clean its streets to give workers uniforms made of breathable material, a hat and sun cream. When temperatures reach 34 C (93 F), street cleaners now must have hourly water breaks and routes that allow time in the shade. Cleaning work will be suspended when temperatures hit 40 C (104 F). Protesters said none of the clothing changes have been put into effect and workers are punished for allegedly slacking in the heat. They said supervisors would sanction workers when they took breaks or slowed down. Workers marched behind a banner reading 'Extreme Heat Is Also Workplace Violence!" and demanded better summer clothing and more breaks during the sweltering summers. They complained that they have to buy their own water. FCC Medio Ambiente, the company that employed the deceased worker, declined to comment on the protesters' complaints. In a previous statement, it offered its condolences to Aguilar's family and said that it trains its staff to work in hot weather. Emergency measures and a Greek cook In Greece, regulations for outdoor labor such as construction work and food delivery includes mandatory breaks. Employers are also advised — but not mandated — to adjust shifts to keep workers out of the midday sun. Greece requires heat-safety inspections during hotter months but the country's largest labor union, the GSEE, is calling for year-round monitoring. European labor unions and the United Nations' International Labor Organization are also pushing for a more coordinated international approach to handling the impact of rising temperatures on workers. "Heat stress is an invisible killer,' the ILO said in a report last year on how heat hurts workers. It called for countries to increase worker heat protections, saying Europe and Central Asia have experienced the largest spike in excessive worker heat exposure this century. In Athens, grill cook Thomas Siamandas shaves meat from a spit in the threshold of the famed Bairaktaris Restaurant. He is out of the sun, but the 38 C (100.4 F) temperature recorded on July 16 was even tougher to endure while standing in front of souvlaki burners. Grill cooks step into air-conditioned rooms when possible and always keep water within reach. Working with a fan pointed at his feet, the 32-year-old said staying cool means knowing when to take a break, before the heat overwhelms you. 'It's tough, but we take precautions: We sit down when we can, take frequent breaks and stay hydrated. We drink plenty of water — really a lot,' said Siamandas, who has worked at the restaurant for eight years. 'You have to find a way to adjust to the conditions.' The blazing sun in Rome Massimo De Filippis spends hours in the blazing sun each day sharing the history of vestal virgins, dueling gladiators and powerful emperors as tourists shuffle through Rome's Colosseum and Forum. 'Honestly, it is tough. I am not going to lie,' the 45-year-old De Filippis said as he wiped sweat from his face. 'Many times it is actually dangerous to go into the Roman Forum between noon and 3:30 p.m.' At midday on July 22, he led his group down the Forum's Via Sacra, the central road in ancient Rome. They paused at a fountain to rinse their faces and fill their bottles. Dehydrated tourists often pass out here in the summer heat, said Francesca Duimich, who represents 300 Roman tour guides in Italy's national federation, Federagit. 'The Forum is a pit; There is no shade, there is no wind,' Duimich said. 'Being there at 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. in the summer heat means you will feel unwell.' This year, guides have bombarded her with complaints about the heat. In recent weeks, Federagit requested that the state's Colosseum Archaeological Park, which oversees the Forum, open an hour earlier so tours can get a jump-start before the heat becomes punishing. The request has been to no avail, so far. The park's press office said that administrators are working to move the opening up by 30 minutes and will soon schedule visits after sunset. ___ Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain, Gatopoulos from Athens and Thomas from Rome.
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Met Office issues thunderstorm warning as stormy conditions to batter south coast and trains suspended amid flooding fears
Parts of South East England were battered by torrential downpours today with more than an inch of rain falling in just an hour as trains were suspended due to flooding. The Met Office imposed a yellow thunderstorm warning for parts of East Sussex and Kent until 5pm, covering Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings, Folkestone and Dover. Some areas were told to expect 20mm (0.8in) to 25mm (1in) of rain in less than an hour, with 30mm (1.2in) to 40mm (1.6in) in one to two hours in a few locations. The alert, which was activated as soon as it was announced at 12.52pm, comes amid concerns driving conditions will be affected by spray and standing water. Forecasters also warned of power cuts; damage to buildings and structures from lightning strikes; flooding of homes and businesses; and delays to public transport. Train operator Southern said its services between Hastings and Ashford International were cancelled this afternoon after the railway flooded and blocked all lines. It comes a day after England's fourth major hosepipe ban of summer came into force as Thames Water activated restrictions for more than one million customers. Homes served by the firm in parts of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Berkshire were hit by the ban following one of the driest springs on record. Despite four days of downpours since Saturday, company bosses said they could not confirm when restrictions will end because it is "generally waiting for rain". Some 1.1million customers with postcodes OX, GL, SN, RG4, RG8 and RG9 now have the ban - but it was avoided by London, which is also served by Thames Water. The ban follows Southern Water activating restrictions for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight on Monday. That followed other bans implemented by South East Water for parts of Kent and Sussex last Friday, and in the Yorkshire Water region since July 11.
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Flash flooding and downpours bring chaos to roads and railways across Scotland
Flash flooding and torrential downpours have brought chaos to roads and railways across Scotland after more than two weeks worth of rain fell overnight. All trains between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh on the scenic Kyle Railway Line were cancelled after the track between Garve and Achanalt, in Ross-shire, was submerged underwater. Network Rail was forced to close the line after the heavy rain caused a 'significant' amount of silt and floodwater to cover the track. Images also showed the road leading to the station at Achanalt badly damaged and strewn with mud and gravel after more than two and a half inches (66.4mm) of rain - more than two weeks worth - fell between 2pm on Monday and 5am yesterday. To show the extent of the flooding, Network Rail shared a photo of the submerged track at Achanalt station, saying: 'Here's some footage of what we're dealing with at Achanalt. 'The speed and volume of the floodwater, plus the silt it's washing onto the tracks, makes it unsafe to run trains here.' Engineers were sent to assess the track with an inspection expected to take several hours as they worked to clear the lines. ScotRail confirmed that no stations along the route would be served until at least the end of the day [Tuesday]. The operator said: 'Our staff onsite continue to work to clear large amounts of debris and silt which are obstructing the track after previous flood water. The line remains closed.' Elsewhere in the Highlands water was seen streaming like a river onto the busy A835 near Ullapool, while two inches of rain fell near Loch Droma, which led to tumultuous water falls at Corrieshalloch Gorge. In Newton St Boswells, Roxburghshire, the water levels became so deep one resident was seen using a paddle board to cross a flooded section of road which had become impassible. Several buildings, including a Lidl supermarket, in Perth, were also reported to have been forced to shut due to the torrential downpours, with a yellow weather warning for parts of the country ending at 6am yesterday [Tuesday] as residents likened the conditions to a 'monsoon'. It comes as forecasters gave a glimmer of hope that the sun would break through the clouds later this week with a chance of thermometers hitting above 20C in cities such as Glasgow and Edinburgh. But the Met office warned the sunshine will be 'quite short lived'. Meanwhile, residents in Tobermory, on the island of Mull, have been urged to take short showers amid 'extremely low' water supplies. Scottish Water has urged residents to use water as efficiently as possible in homes, businesses and gardens to help protect resources and maintain normal supplies following what has been the driest start to the year across Scotland since 1964.
