A second body has been recovered in the search for a father and son who were swept away by flash floods after torrential rain hit the north of Spain on Sunday. The young boy, aged around 11, and his dad were swept away by the water in San Quintín de Mediona whilst they run into trouble while driving through the Barcelona province.
Approximately 100 firefighters raced to the scene and spent hours searching the 10 mile stretch of the Sant Quinti de Mediona river system, where the pair’s car was dragged away by the raging weather. Tragically, the body of the young boy was found yesterday, Sunday September 21 by a local resident walking in the area near Sant Pere de Riudebitlles.
The Catalan Minister of the Interior, Núria Parlon, confirmed that the body was that of a minor. The second body, believed to be that of the father, was located today, Monday September 22.
The tragedy unfolded when the pair attempted to cross what is normally a barely-flowing stream in the Monterrey urbanisation in Mediona.
Leading the rescue operation inspector Albert Castelletdescribed the search as “complicated” due to areas thick with vegetation and mud carried by the force of the water.
“The terrain has been completely transformed by the flood waters,” he said.
Approximately 104 emergency personnel and 43 vehicles were called, these included underwater teams, drone units with thermal cameras, dog units and a helicopter.
They were supported by around 20 Mossos d’Esquadra officers, local police and medical emergency services. Emergency services have received over 600 phone calls from distressed members of the public.
The extreme weather forced state meteorological agency (Aemet) to issue orange weather warnings in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencia, as heavy rainfall, strong gusts of wind and plummeting temperatures were expected throughout Sunday afternoon.
It also caused landslides and flooding throughout the area with areas of Teruel and Huesca seeing a hail storm with ice stones the size of marbles.
In addition, the Catalan meteorological service, Meteocat, issued a severe weather warning for seven areas of Barcelona and Tarragona, with a maximum risk level in Anoia, Barcelona, and Conca de Barberà, Tarragona.
The severe weather also brought massive chaos to air traffic with dozens of flights to Barcelona’s El Prat Airport either delayed or cancelled on Sunday.
