Spain floods kill three as rivers overflow after heavy rain

Search teams have recovered the bodies of two men who went missing after torrential rains caused flooding in southern Spain, officials said, bringing the death toll to three.

Spain’s Guardia Civil police said on Monday that the body of one man was found about three kilometres (two miles) from where he had been swept away on Sunday by a swollen river near Granada.

Spanish television reported that the 20-year-old was carried away while trying to cross a riverbed on a motorcycle.

The body of another man, whose van was also swept away, was found in the province of Malaga, the mayor of Alhaurin el Grande, Antonio Bermudez, said.

A second passenger of the van was found dead on Sunday.

The two men, in their early 50s, were "lifelong friends," Bermudez said, describing the tragedy as a "sad and dark Christmas for the community."

The town declared on Tuesday an official day of mourning and cancelled all public events "because no one in Alhaurin el Grande feels like celebrating anything at this time," he added.

Spain has been strongly affected by the climate change in recent years, experiencing longer heatwaves and more frequent episodes of heavy rain.

Floods in October 2024 killed more than 230 people, mostly in the eastern Valencia region.