Casablanca – A 102-year-old woman died after floodwaters entered her ground-floor home in Madrigueras, Albacete, as intense rainfall inundated the Spanish town on Friday.
The woman was found dead inside her home after water rose to more than one meter, according to Castilla-La Mancha authorities. The flooding also forced emergency crews to carry out around 90 rescues, mainly involving people trapped inside homes affected by rising water.
Madrigueras recorded 142 liters of rain per square meter during the episode. The heavy rainfall quickly turned streets into torrents, swept vehicles away and flooded homes, businesses and other buildings across the town.
Emergency services received numerous calls from residents seeking help or information as the situation worsened. Some people found themselves unable to leave their homes as floodwater accumulated around buildings.
The flooding also disrupted access to Madrigueras, with several roads temporarily closed. Authorities reopened the CM-316 and AB-105 roads connecting Madrigueras with nearby towns, while the CM-3222 remained closed at kilometer five.
The Castilla-La Mancha government activated the METEOCAM emergency plan at Operational Situation 1 in Albacete. The Guardia Civil’s Citizen Security Unit remained deployed in the town overnight, while GEACAM teams joined recovery and cleaning operations on Saturday morning.
The emergency response brought together regional civil protection officials, the Guardia Civil, the provincial fire service, the Red Cross and other local and emergency personnel. Authorities began clearing mud, removing vehicles and cleaning affected areas after the water receded.
Residents woke on Saturday to streets covered in mud, vehicles piled up after the floodwaters moved them and homes and businesses damaged by the water. Images from the town showed the scale of the flooding and the cleanup underway.
