Simon Wade
SIX people have died following two days of the worst flooding on record to hit the Costa Blanca flooding.
Emergency services and the military stepped in to rescue hundreds of people trapped, as torrents of floodwater cascaded down from mountains inland.
Stretches the region’s main motorways have been closed, road tunnels have been flooded, hospitals have reduced services and the city of Orihuela was been put under a curfew while authorities dealt with emergencies
A 45-year-old man in Orihuela is understood to be the sixth fatality of the storms.
Only five miles away in Redovan, another man was found dead after he stepped out of his vehicle and was swept by the floodwaters on Friday.
On Thursday, man in Granada perished as his car was swept off a motorway, and another fatality was recorded in a tunnel in Almería.
The region’s first two victims were a brother and sister (aged 61 and 51) who were found dead in their upturned car near Caudete, 60 miles south of Valencia
Over 70 roads were closed, along with all of the Murcia regional railway and the airport. The rail services from Alicante to Madrid and Barcelona were also shut.
Airlines and airports alike are asking that passengers check online first to see if travel in and out of the region is possible.
Although predictions show the storms and flooding subsiding, businesses in Rojales on the River Segura aren’t taking any chances, with dozens blocking their doors with sandbags.
If you or your family are in the region and have been effected by the floods, please get in touch with us – newsdesk@theolivepress.es
