Spain floods kill man near Barcelona

Spanish rescuers recovered the body of a man near Barcelona after torrential rain hit Spain's Mediterranean east, flooding streets and disrupting travel.

Catalan firefighters said they had located the man's body in Olivella, about 40 kilometres west of Barcelona. They corrected earlier information from Civil Protection that rescuers had been searching for a woman. The fire service said the man had been driving a car that was swept away by a stream.

Spain's national weather agency AEMET issued heavy-rain warnings for eastern regions on Wednesday and briefly put Barcelona under its highest red alert because of the threat of flash floods.

Authorities urged people in Catalonia and Valencia to avoid unnecessary travel and use extreme caution. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez warned on X of “very complicated situations”. Mass phone alerts were sent to residents in parts of Catalonia, Valencia and Almeria.

In Barcelona, some metro stations were closed, buses were diverted and streets were submerged. Regional trains were also disrupted, and flights were delayed or cancelled at Barcelona's El Prat airport.

Catalan emergency services said they received more than 850 calls linked to the rain and recorded more than 500 incidents.

In Valencia, weather monitor Avamet recorded more than 70 millimetres of rain in 30 minutes in several municipalities. Emergency services reported 478 incidents in the province, mostly involving property damage, leaks and traffic disruption.

All metro lines in Valencia city were suspended. The city's airport was closed for hours, and operator Aena said 12 flights were diverted. A football match between Levante and Athletic Bilbao was postponed because the pitch was waterlogged and water entered the players' tunnel.

More than 20 municipalities across Almeria and Murcia suspended classes as a precaution.