Simon Hunter
A DAY of sustained rainfall in Madrid caused travel chaos on Wednesday evening, including severe flooding in the Metro de Madrid underground rail system.
Around half a dozen Metro lines had to be closed due to the extreme weather, as well as the C5 line on the Cercanías commuter train service. The rain also caused major traffic jams both in the city and on its access routes.
The heaviest rain fell on Wednesday between 5pm and 7pm, causing interruptions shortly after to Metro lines 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 11.
On social media, videos soon started to appear of water flooding down the stairs of the Banco de España station, located close to Madrid’s iconic Cibeles square.
The Madrid emergency services also shared videos of work to clear flooding, in tunnels such as the one on Bailen street.
Much of Spain has seen heavy rainfall this week thanks to Storm Efrain. The worst-affected regions have been Extremadura and Andalusia. The bad weather has claimed one victim so far: a forest ranger aged 55, who died in Salamanca province after he was swept away by an overflowing river.
Read more:
- Spain’s Malaga sees accumulated rainfall of 5,420 litres in 13 days
- Mallorca to experience tropical Christmas weather
