One dead as heavy rains hit Spain, France

At least one person died in Catalonia Sunday after much of the region in northeastern Spain was hit by torrential rains that disrupted rail and air travel, officials said.

Firefighters said they found a body in a river in the town of Sant Pere de Riudebitlles near Barcelona while searching for two people whose car was reportedly swept away by floodwater.

“The authorities are investigating whether it belongs to one of the individuals sought in the ongoing search, or if it is the victim of an unrelated incident,” they added on X.

Heavy rain also lashed neighbouring France’s southeast, causing power outages to around 10,000 homes and leading the Marseille airport to reroute around a dozen flights to land in other cities.

Officials also postponed various sports fixtures, including a derby football match between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain, delayed until Monday.

In Spain, firefighters rescued 27 people who were trapped at the Sant Joan funicular at the Montserrat Monastery northwest of Barcelona following a landslide, the regional civil protection service said in a statement.

Dozens of flights to and from Barcelona airport, Spain’s second-busiest, were either delayed or cancelled because of the rain.

Commuter rail service was temporarily stopped on some routes due to landslides and fallen trees.

National weather office AEMET said rainfall of up to 40 litres per square metre (nearly one gallon per square foot) fell in just 30 minutes in some parts of Catalonia.

Last October, torrential rains sparked devastating floods in the eastern province of Valencia, killing 225 people and causing widespread destruction, the country’s deadliest such disaster in decades.

Because a warmer atmosphere holds more water, climate change increases the risk and intensity of flooding from extreme rainfall, according to experts.