Laurence Dollimore
THE deadly floods currently wreaking havoc across eastern and southern Spain have claimed their first life in Andalucia.
It comes after more than 73 people have been killed in the regions of Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha following days of deluge which reached a peak on Tuesday evening.
But this figure now includes at least one death in Malaga, after authorities confirmed a British expat died after being rescued from a flooded area of Alhaurin on Tuesday.
The name of the Brit has not yet been released but he is confirmed to have been 71 years old.
The Junta de Andalucia said he lived on the outskirts of Alhaurin de la Torre and was rescued yesterday but died later in hospital.
He had previous conditions and his partner was the one who called in emergency services when he began suffering from hypothermia.
The Brit suffered a heart attack but was stabilised before eventually passing from multiple organ failure.
Andalucia President Juanma Moreno said at least five more people are in a critical condition.
It comes as the southern region faces a string of serious weather alerts tonight that are raising fears of more deaths and a repeat of scenes witnessed in Valencia over the past 24 hours.
The streets of Cadiz have already filled with flood water this afternoon amid a ‘dangerous’ deluge sparked by a so-called DANA weather system.
Footage shared online shows Jerez de la Frontera is particularly at risk, with cars already being washed away or totally submerged.
It comes after large parts of the province, including Jerez and Arcos de la Frontera were placed on an urgent red alert at 2pm.
The warning from state weather agency Aemet predicts more than 120mm of rain could fall per square metre in the affected areas.
The alert is in place until midnight tonight, giving fears of a repeat of Valencia, where dozens of people have been killed following devastating floods – and after red alerts were issued there too.
The rest of Cadiz, including the coast from Sanlucar to La Linea, are on an orange warning of up to 80mm of rain.
Meanwhile, the whole of neighbouring Sevilla has been placed under an orange alert until midnight tonight, with up to 80mm of rain forecast over a 12-hour period.
Large parts of Malaga are also being warned of continuing deluge tonight.
Ronda, the Costa del Sol and inland Malaga have been placed under a yellow alert until 9pm this evening.
Meteorologists predict these areas will see up to 15mm of rain per hour.
