Mother swept away by flash flood as Storm Adam batters Spain

A 35-year-old mother from Malgrat de Mar was killed when she was swept into a swollen stream by torrential rain in Cabrera de Mar, Catalonia, on Saturday evening, as Storm Adam (also known as DANA Adam) unleashed extreme weather across eastern and southern Spain and the Balearic Islands.

The tragedy unfolded around 7.30pm as the family left a basketball match at the municipal sports pavilion near the local riera (stream). The woman was attempting to cross the watercourse with her husband and two children when a sudden surge of floodwater, fed by roughly 60 litres of rain falling in about 40 minutes, carried her away. Her partner managed to grab and save one of the children; she vanished in the current.

An intensive overnight search involving Catalan firefighters, Mossos d’Esquadra, local police, Civil Protection, drones, divers and maritime rescue units located her body on Sunday morning. It was found floating near the breakwater at the port of Premià de Mar, several kilometres downstream and out to sea. Cabrera de Mar mayor Òscar Fernández confirmed the recovery and expressed the town’s deep regret, urging residents to heed official warnings. The municipality declared Monday a day of official mourning and held a minute’s silence.

Authorities noted that the pavilion sits close to the natural watercourse, and the rapid transformation of normally modest streams into dangerous torrents is a recurring hazard during intense Mediterranean downpours. Emergency services also rescued other people trapped by floodwater in the wider Maresme area during the same episode.

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Storm Adam has caused widespread disruption far beyond Catalonia. In the Balearic Islands, Ibiza Airport was forced to suspend operations twice on Sunday after heavy rain flooded parts of the airfield and terminal; water poured through ceilings in places, dozens of flights were cancelled or diverted, and access roads were temporarily closed. Formentera and other parts of the islands also recorded significant flooding, including at a church and care home.

On the mainland, streets in Algeciras (Andalusia) and towns across Valencia and Alicante provinces turned into rivers, with cars submerged and residents trapped.

By Monday, rainfall totals in some Valencian and Alicante municipalities had reached extreme levels—exceeding 600 mm in places over short periods—prompting shelter-in-place orders affecting hundreds of thousands of people, school closures, and deployment of military emergency units and helicopters for rooftop rescues. Additional deaths linked to the storm system have been reported, including a woman who drowned after entering rough seas near Sagunto (Valencia) and further fatalities in the hardest-hit coastal areas of Valencia province. Officials have linked at least four deaths to Storm Adam overall, while noting that extreme weather has claimed five lives in Catalonia in the past fortnight.

Spain’s meteorological agency Aemet maintained high-level alerts across Mediterranean coastal regions into Monday, warning of further intense downpours, rapidly rising watercourses and the risk of flash flooding. Authorities continue to advise the public to avoid unnecessary travel, stay away from streams and flooded roads, and follow civil-protection instructions. The episode underscores the vulnerability of coastal and low-lying areas during these increasingly intense autumn storm systems.