Catalonia floods kill two near Barcelona

Two people have died and at least one person is missing near Barcelona after torrential rain hit Catalonia, Spanish authorities said Sunday.

David Borrell, head of Catalonia's fire service, said one person died when a wall collapsed at a campsite in Tordera and another drowned in a flooded garage in Montornes del Valles, both in Barcelona province.

Authorities warned that the severe weather was moving north toward Girona, between Barcelona and the French border. They urged residents near the Ridaura and Daro rivers to stay at home after the rivers burst their banks.

Rescue services said more than 200 millimetres of rain had been recorded in several places in the Barcelona region. Overnight, emergency crews helped people trapped in vehicles by flooding in Granollers and elsewhere.

The Spanish Meteorological Office said storms had begun to ease around Barcelona by midday Sunday but were moving north. Public events were cancelled in the highest-risk areas.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the situation in Catalonia remained “very complicated” and urged people to avoid non-essential journeys and follow emergency instructions.

The storms also battered parts of eastern Spain and Castilla-La Mancha, where authorities said a 102-year-old woman died Saturday as a result of the weather.