Flash flood kills 102-year-old woman; crews make about 90 rescues

• A 102-year-old woman died at home during Friday’s flooding in Madrigueras, in Albacete province.
• Emergency services carried out around 90 rescues, mostly from flooded homes.
• Regional authorities reported more than 140mm of rain; other reports put the figure at 142mm, with differing estimates of the period.
• The regional emergency plan remained active on Saturday as crews began recovery work.

The woman was unable to get to safety as water rose inside her home, according to Castilla-La Mancha’s regional government. RTVE reported that the water reached about a metre. The government and several news outlets put the rescue tally at around 90; it is an operational estimate, not a verified final count. ¹

The storm hit from about 18:15 on Friday, 2 October, and lasted roughly two hours, the regional government said. It reported more than 140 millimetres of rain. RTVE gave a total of 142mm, while elDiario.es reported up to 142mm over two and a half hours. The precise measurement period is therefore unclear. ²

Heavy rain was followed by runoff from nearby higher ground, ramblas—seasonal watercourses—and other natural channels, worsening flooding in the town, the regional government said. A local reporter who visited on Saturday described muddy streets, homes and businesses under water, and cars swept out of place and piled together. ^{3 4}

By Saturday morning, the operation had shifted from rescue to cleanup, but the regional government was keeping its METEOCAM emergency plan at Operational Situation 1. The health centre had flooded, and services had moved temporarily to the local Red Cross premises. Two roads had reopened, while a stretch of the CM-3222 remained closed, according to local reporting. ^{5 6}

Spain’s State Meteorological Agency said the wider spell of unsettled weather was expected to last at least until Sunday, 4 October, with persistent, potentially torrential rain forecast for parts of the Mediterranean coast. It warned that storms could also affect inland areas and cause sudden flooding in low-lying places, streams and ramblas. Its notice did not specifically forecast another severe flood in Madrigueras. ⁷

Footnotes

1. Regional government of Castilla-La Mancha, 3 October update; RTVE, 3 October. ↩

2. Regional government of Castilla-La Mancha; RTVE; elDiario.es. ↩

3. Regional government of Castilla-La Mancha. ↩

4. El Digital de Albacete, on the scene in Madrigueras on 3 October. ↩

5. Regional government of Castilla-La Mancha. ↩

6. elDiario.es, updated 3 October. ↩

7. Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, special warning issued 2 October. ↩