Photos and videos have shown the devastation caused by torrential rain on the popular Spanish island of Lanzarote. Some 60 litres of water fell per square metre in just two hours in the worst affected areas on Saturday – more than a month’s worth of the average rainfall in the UK, reports say.
The downpour saw a state of emergency declared, with harrowing footage showing murky brown floodwater flowing through streets and pool areas. Other footage shared on social media shows abandoned cars partially – or completely – submerged, buildings flooded and large bins being carried down roads by the surging torrents of water. One onlooker also captured powerful floodwater rapidly flowing under a bridge and into the ocean.
The worst affected areas include the municipalities of Arrecife, Teguise and San Bartolome where between 2pm and 4pm, emergency services recorded around 150 weather-related incidents, according to reports.
The head of emergency services for the Lanzarote government said crews worked overnight into Sunday dealing with the aftermath.
Enrique Espinosa told RTVE television: “We have been working all night, attending 300 calls overnight, many of them in Arrecife and Teguise. Some houses are flooded and what remains is a great quantity of mud.”
Authorities say there have been no casualties but are continuing to urge people to remain vigilant as the clean-up effort continues.
Residents in Arrecife, the island’s capital on its east coast, were reportedly hit by the smell of raw sewage after the flooding also hit the drainage system.
River banks struggled to deal with the downpour, with the Lagomar River flowing through Nazaret reportedly spilling over onto the surrounding area.
Officials on Saturday urged the public on Lanzarote to take extreme precautions and avoid all unnecessary travel.
The state of emergency was lifted by the Canary Islands government at 7am on Sunday morning.
Lanzarote is a popular destination for tourists, particularly for Brits, offering all-year round warm weather, beaches, watersports and more.
One Briton told Metro it felt like “Armageddon” as he battled through the floods to reach his hotel in Costa Teguise.
Saturday’s heavy rain and floods comes after the island was battered by Storm Oliver earlier in the week.
Multiple flights to and from Lanzarote airport were cancelled because of dangerous flying conditions.