Storm in Spain: deaths, chaos and miraculous rescue of children Russia: ‘General Armageddon’ suddenly reappears

Severe storms have claimed at least four lives in Spain, causing chaos and significant property damage. However, in the midst of all the suffering, the rescue of a little boy brought some comfort.

Many media spoke unanimously of a ‘miracle’. The 10-year-old was found in a tree in the west of the Madrid region around 8 a.m. Monday, after spending the entire night there in heavy rain and hurricane gusts, the regional emergency service said.

According to the authorities, the boy fled into the tree on Sunday evening. His family’s car had previously been swept away by the waters of the Alberche River, which overflowed not far from the village of Aldea del Fresno. The father, who was behind the wheel, was still missing on Monday. The boy’s mother and sister could have saved themselves, it said. The ten-year-old was hypothermic by a finca servant and was accidentally discovered with several injuries on his body.

The story of a pensioner who was rescued in the night by two police officers in Buenache de Alarcón in the province of Cuenca when she was “up to her neck in water” and couldn’t leave her house because she cried on Spanish TV. made for moving moments, told broadcaster RTVE. “I would be dead and buried by now (…) I don’t know how to say thank you,” said 73-year-old Felicia when RTVE introduced her to her two rescuers.

However, according to the government of the Castilla-La Mancha region, there was no rescue for the two men whose bodies were found on Monday in the province of Toledo, southeast of Madrid. One of the victims died in a vehicle in the municipality of Bargas. In the village of Casarrubios del Monte, a 20-year-old was found dead in a garage elevator.

On Saturday, two men, aged 31 and 34, fell into torrential water and drowned while visiting a canyon in Zaragoza in northeastern Spain. On Monday, in addition to the father of the rescued 10-year-old, at least two other people – an 83-year-old man and a younger woman – were missing.

Large parts of Spain were hit by storms on Saturday and Sunday with heavy rain, hurricanes, lightning strikes and hail. There were many flight delays. Rail traffic was halted in many places. Hundreds of passengers had to spend the night involuntarily in train stations in Madrid, Málaga and other cities on Monday evening.

Dozens of roads are closed and parks closed. Countless houses, basements, garages and underpasses were flooded and muddy. Parts of the facade and roof tiles fell onto the street and trees were uprooted. Farmland has been severely affected in several regions.

For the almost 10,000 inhabitants of the Catalan municipality of Alcanar, there was even an hour-long curfew on Sunday because of the dangerous flooding. According to the weather service, 215 liters of rain fell per square meter in just 24 hours. On Monday, the situation only slowly normalized. In Madrid, for example, metro and car traffic continued to be significantly affected. The popular holiday island of Mallorca was largely spared.

In view of the necessary reconstruction, the regions of Madrid and Castile-La Macha have now applied to the central government to be declared a disaster area in order to receive state aid. Estimates of the extent of damage were not initially available. (sda/dpa)