Floodwaters wreak havoc in Murcia: A testament to climate change

On Wednesday, June 12, the residents of the Espinardo district in the town of Murcia experienced a disaster. Vast and unexpected downpours hit Spain, turning city streets into muddy torrents. Terrifying recordings showing the effects of the rains circulated on social media.

Climate change is happening before our eyes. We received news that extreme heat waves affected Western Europe a few weeks ago. There were also reports of dangerous fires and evacuating people from areas threatened by flames. On Wednesday, June 12, everything changed. Massive downpours hit Spain, turning city streets into muddy torrents. The water even swept away cars.

The downpours were so dangerous and extensive that they led to a natural disaster in southern Spain. Air traffic was halted in Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca. Water was poured from the airport ceiling in litres, and staff set up buckets beneath the windows, and passengers soaked through.

On Wednesday, June 12, a terrifying natural disaster struck the Murcia region in Spain. According to the radiozet.pl portal, in Espinardo, a northern district of Murcia, the streets turned into raging muddy torrents. Water swiftly swept away everything in its path, including cars and buses.

Social media was flooded with various photos and recordings. The videos show how the raging water floods cars and reaches very high levels, making moving around the city streets practically impossible. Local authorities told the media that they were dealing with a flash flood. Almost 75 litres of water per square metre fell in just 35 minutes.

A Facebook video La Actualidad Region de Murcia shared shows a flooded street. Water quickly flows, and residents and tourists trapped in local establishments cannot cope with the flood's aftermath.