Mud, destruction after flash floods hit town in Spain

Flash floods swept cars down streets in a seaside town in northeastern Spain on Wednesday as other parts of the country were hit by overnight storms. A downpour quickly overwhelmed the Catalan town of Alcanar, where neighbours watched as muddy waters swept up vehicles and sent them hurling down streets toward the Mediterranean.

Most of mainland Spain is under alert for heavy rains. Madrid and other areas of central Spain saw heavy rains and mild flooding during the night caused by storms that produced over 9,000 lighting strikes, according to the national weather service. Firefighters worked to clear the muddy roads of stranded cars, washed away in the floodwaters.

Video from the Catalonia firefighters showed them clearing large branches from the streets and pumping water off the roads. There were no immediate reports of casualties. Local authorities urged people to stay at home and warned that more rains forecast for later in the day could lead to more flooding.