Fatal storm in Spain: four dead | Chronic

Spanish emergency services rescued the body of a man whose vehicle was covered with water and mud on a road in the Grenada region, bringing to four the number of deaths due to the rains that hit the south-east of this country.

The meteorological phenomenon DANA (isolated depression at high levels), better known as "cold drop", which usually coincides with the beginning of autumn in the western Mediterranean, wreaks havoc in the southeast of the peninsula, especially in the Valencian Community, Alicante, Almeria and Murcia, where many areas were flooded.

The first victims of the storm are two brothers who lost their lives when their car was dragged in the water on a road in Caudete, Albacete. A third person died this morning after being trapped in a flooded tunnel trying to cross at full speed with his vehicle, while two other people accompanying him could be saved by the security forces.

In the meantime, the fourth victim was the driver of a vehicle immersed in the A-92, in La Jámula, Granada.

The Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, announced the rescue work of this vehicle at a press conference in Madrid, after the Council of Ministers, without knowing that the driver had lost his life.

Murcia, Almería, Alicante and Valencia have woken up under the sign of the red alert for the second day in a row, although the storm is already dissipating in these areas and only the last two remain extremely exposed to the risk of rainfall.

Also during the morning, there was a weather alert in the Balearic Islands, where the storm is moving, although the risk was subsequently reduced.

In the most affected areas of the peninsula, the southeast airports were closed and the rail service was cut.

In addition, some 3,500 people have been badisted by helicopters and cranes, to which the army has participated in recent hours with the help of relief and rescue services, authorities said.

The greatest risk was the Segura River, which had begun to overflow at the municipality of Orihuela, Alicante, one of the most affected by the storm, and was likely to do so in the capital city as well. Murcia.

According to the latest reports and images of public television, the city of Orihuela, which has 76,000 inhabitants, was completely isolated due to the flooding of the river.

The president of the Hydrographic Confederation Segura, Mario Urrea, said in statements to the public channel RTVE What "The situation is very worrying, because a very large amount of water will reach the area below" of the river.

"The intensity and extent of the rain since last Wednesday is extraordinary, unmanageable", lamented the expert, who explained that the Segura River carried 250 cubic meters / second while it usually takes between 1 and 5 minutes to cross Murcia.