Flash flood in Catalonia, at least two dead and one missing

A 65-year-old man died in Tordera when a wall collapsed due to the torrential rains that struck Catalonia over the weekend. Another person drowned in a flooded garage in Montornès del Vallès. According to the summary released by the sources consulted, the death toll is joined by at least one missing person, whose search was ongoing at the time of publication.

The Catalan Meteorological Service recorded, in the Barcelona area, the rainiest Saturday in the last twenty years. The Spanish meteorological agency classified the phenomenon as a “Dana,” the same isolated high-altitude depression that devastated Valencia in 2024. The technical definition places the Catalan event in the same meteorological category as that precedent, although it is a distinct episode, with an impact area and a toll different from those recorded then.

The consequences for infrastructure were immediate: more than 17,000 households were left without electricity and hundreds of flights were cancelled in the Barcelona area, with repercussions also on the railway network, which remained halted on several lines according to the sources gathered. The combination of intense rainfall within a few hours and urban infrastructure under pressure made managing air and rail traffic in the metropolitan area difficult on Saturday.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez commented on the situation, describing it as complex.

“Very complicated situation in Catalonia” — Pedro Sánchez, Spanish Prime Minister

The news comes from two independent sources — one account based on the Europa Press agency and La Vanguardia, the other based on statements from the Generalitat de Catalunya — which agree on the number of victims and the extent of the infrastructure disruptions, while varying in the local details reported.

At present, two deaths have been confirmed, one person is still missing, and more than 17,000 electrical connections remain to be restored in the affected area.