Man killed by collapsing wall at campsite and another found in flooded car park as Barcelona suffers its heaviest daily rainfall in at least two decades
Spain Expat Press Editorial Team
At least two people have died and one is missing after torrential rain swept across Catalonia overnight. The downpour flooded streets, brought rail services to a halt and forced the regional government to restrict movement across much of the region.
A man aged about 75 died when a wall collapsed at the Caravaning Internacional Costa Brava campsite in Tordera, a town in the coastal Maresme district north of Barcelona. The Catalan fire service said it received the alert at 8.11am on Sunday.
A second man was found dead in a flooded underground car park in Montornès del Vallès, after his family reported him missing. Rescue teams had to pump water out for almost two hours before they could reach the car park and recover his body.
Firefighters are still searching for a third person, who is believed to have been swept away in a seasonal watercourse, known locally as a riera, in the coastal town of Pineda de Mar.
The Catalan president, Salvador Illa, posted on X that the region was mourning a death in Tordera and sent his condolences to the man’s family. He warned that the situation remained difficult, particularly in the northern half of Catalonia. Illa and the regional interior minister, Núria Parlon, urged residents to act with caution and follow instructions from the emergency services.
🌊🇪🇸Watch: Streets turned into raging rivers in Palafolls as torrential rains flood the town.
Flooding in many parts of Spain due to heavy rainfall⛈️
📍⚡️: #Catalonia , #Spain . https://t.co/mQ26XzdOMx
— World_Breaking_News03 (@Breaking2003) October 4, 2026
‘Most intense in 20 years’
The Catalan meteorological service, Meteocat, said Barcelona and its surrounding area had experienced the most intense single day of rainfall in at least 20 years. Between 100mm and 200mm of rain has fallen on the city and neighbouring municipalities since Saturday afternoon.
Meteocat raised its hazard warning to the maximum level, six out of six, and Catalonia’s civil protection agency triggered the emergency phase of its flood response plan. The regional government restricted movement and suspended activities in 20 of Catalonia’s districts until at least midday on Sunday. Forecasters had warned of the risk of a rare “Mediterranean mini-hurricane”, although by Sunday morning it appeared this had not materialised.
By 9am on Sunday, the fire service had received 1,307 calls for help across the region. Authorities have recorded more than 4,000 incidents in total, many of them affecting roads in the province of Barcelona.
The worst flooding and road closures were concentrated in Barcelona, the Maresme coast, the Vallès area inland and parts of the province of Girona. In the Bellvitge neighbourhood of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, on the city’s southern edge, residents spent hours bailing water out of streets and ground-floor homes. The Besòs river, which flows into the sea on Barcelona’s northern edge, burst its banks and remains under close watch.
Fa una estona Malgrat de Mar. Desconec autor ja que me l’han passat per telefon. https://t.co/wmjZnw5i2e
— Elpito meteo (@MeteoElpito) October 4, 2026
Travel disruption
The storm caused widespread disruption to transport. Barcelona’s Rodalies commuter rail network was suspended, several rail lines were closed, and hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled at El Prat airport.
As the band of heavy rain moves north, attention is turning to the province of Girona and the Costa Brava. Civil protection officials have kept movement restrictions and warnings about rising rivers and streams in place, and have urged residents not to let their guard down given the risk of further flooding.
The storm comes almost two years after catastrophic flash floods in and around Valencia killed more than 220 people in October 2024. That disaster prompted a national debate about Spain’s emergency warning systems and its preparedness for extreme rainfall. Scientists have warned that warmer Mediterranean waters, driven by the climate crisis, are making autumn downpours along Spain’s eastern coast more intense.
Officials stressed that the toll was provisional and could rise as search operations and damage assessments continue.
