Rising floodwaters in Portugal claimed the life of a man, while a girl remained missing in southern Spain after she was swept away by a swollen river as Storm Leonardo wreaked havoc on the Iberian Peninsula on Thursday.
Heavy rains and gusty winds forced authorities in Spain’s southern Andalusia region to evacuate close to 4,000 people from their homes as the ravaging storm led to dozens of roads remaining closed due to flooding and landslides.
On Wednesday night, a man died in southern Portugal after his car was engulfed by floodwaters, local media said. The southern Portuguese city of Alcacer do Sal, about 90 kilometres from Lisbon, was battling rising waters from the river Sado, with downtown areas flooded and water levels measuring two metres high in some places.
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In southern Spain’s Malaga province, authorities were still searching for a girl who fell into the Turvilla river on Wednesday while trying to save her dog.
Spain’s weather agency lifted the highest alert level in southern Spain, but added that another storm system was expected over the weekend with heavy rains expected to lash several regions in Portugal in the coming days.
Leonardo is the latest in a series of storms that have pummelled Spain and Portugal in recent weeks. A previous storm in late January left a trail of destruction in the country and killed several people, according to Portuguese authorities.
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