ATHENS: At least seven people have been killed and at least 600 people evacuated from their homes after deadly flash floods swept through southern Spain.
Among the dead were a young boy and a girl who were found drowned in a car in the southeastern town of Puerto Lumbreras, according to Spanish National radio.
After months of drought, torrential rain has flooded streets and homes, brought down a motorway bridge, and swept cars down roads that have been transformed into rivers.
The hardest hit areas are the Mediterranean provinces of Malaga in the south and Murcia and Almeria in the southeast.
A regional government spokesman said: "In Malaga province, there are 800 staff working to return things to normal as quickly as possible.
The rains are decreasing and seem to be shifting towards Granada and Almeri."
Up to 245 litres (65 gallons) of water per square metre (11 square feet) had fallen in the area on Friday morning alone, Spain's weather agency reported.
A flight was diverted to Seville as it headed to Malaga, which lies east of the resort city of Marbella on the Costa del Sol, the airports authority said.
At least two motorways have been closed and some public transport disrupted, officials said.
The flooding comes after months of virtual drought and soaring summer temperatures all over Spain that triggered thousands of wildfires. (QNA)
