Laurence Dollimore
A RED-level alert has been activated for the Costa del Sol and parts of inland Malaga due to the extreme rainfall currently battering the region.
The emergency warning from state weather agency Aemet is in place until at least 3pm today.
A red-level alert is the most severe and means there is an ‘extreme risk’ to personal safety.
The warning also includes inland areas such as Cartama and Alora, which are witnessing the worst of the flooding.
Video footage shared online shows local flooding affecting the entire coast. Some streets in Nerja and Fuengirola have been turned into rapids, with similar scenes seen in some areas of Marbella.
In Malaga city, huge rubbish containers were filmed being carried by the water down one street with ease, at one point blocking a police car that was attempting to drive through the deluge.
In Benalmadena, firefighters have responded to a landslide on Avenida del Indico, with drivers warned to avoid unnecessary journeys and to travel with caution.
The dramatic conditions are being caused by a so-called DANA, a high area of isolated depression that typically brings heavy rainfall and a drop in temperatures.
The weather system is causing widespread flooding across southern and eastern Spain today.
In footage shared on X, a Brit can be heard saying ‘Oh my god!’ as he films cars being swept away by the surging Guadalhorce River in Alora.
READ MORE: Watch: Electric storm sparks chaos on Spain’s Costa del Sol
Both Alora and Cartama remain on alert due to a surge in the Guadalhorce sparked by the heavy rain.
It comes after an electric storm kept scores of residents awake across Malaga province overnight.
Footage shared online shows how roads have been turned into rapids across the province.
Traffic in Malaga city was reported to have ‘totally collapsed’ this morning, causing huge traffic jams.
Anyone flying to or from Malaga airport was also advised to check the status of their flight following multiple delays.
