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MADRID – Floods caused by torrential rains killed at least eight people on the Spanish island of Mallorca and exploded the banks of a river, carrying vehicles and engulfing a city in muddy waters.
Hundreds of rescuers, with the help of helicopters and sniffer dogs, searched Wednesday morning at least nine people missing after the flood.
The flood hit Tuesday night and cut the town of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, which has about 8,000 inhabitants and is about 60 km from Palma, the capital of the island.
On Wednesday morning, a local official told Cadena Ser, a Spanish radio station, that the victims included a British couple traveling in a taxi caught in a sudden flood.
The taxi driver is missing, according to the manager, Catalina Cladera. One of the other victims would be the former mayor of the municipality, Rafael Gili, 71 years old.
The government has announced that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will visit Mallorca on Wednesday at noon for the disaster zone, which has gained some renown for its location on the site of "Love Island", a British reality TV show. .
Mr Sánchez offered his condolences to the victims on Twitter. Spanish military rescue services also dispatched a Hercules plane from the mainland on Wednesday to help local rescuers.
More rain was announced Wednesday in Mallorca and in the rest of the Balearic Islands, as well as in other parts of Spain. The southern coast of the continent, around the province of Málaga, has been put on red alert by the Spanish Meteorological Agency. because of the expected downpour.
Mallorca is one of the main tourist destinations of Spain. Palma was the first city in Spain to ban the rental of short-term apartments via Airbnb and other housing-sharing sites to free up more accommodation for local residents.
Palma was largely spared from the flood, mainly concentrated on the northeastern part of the island. Although the region is less visited than other parts of Mallorca, it has a strong rural tourism sector.
Officials told the local media that three people were injured and about 200 people had to evacuate their homes because of flooding in Sant Llorenç des Cardassar caused by two hours of heavy rain. Many residents spent the night at a nearby sports center.
