A 48-year-old British man has died in Spain after the Volvo he was driving was swept away while attempting to cross a normally dry watercourse during torrential storms.
The incident happened late Wednesday night in Olivella, a municipality near the coastal resort of Sitges in Catalonia, as heavy rain caused waterways and roads across parts of north-eastern Spain to become flooded.
Authorities initially believed the missing person could be a woman, but the victim was later identified as a British national who lived in Olivella.
Car Carried Away by Powerful Floodwaters
Witnesses raised the alarm at around 11pm after seeing the vehicle being overwhelmed by the rapidly moving water.
Firefighters launched a major search operation involving drones and specialist divers.
The man’s body was eventually discovered at approximately 2.25am, around 500 metres from where the Volvo had been located.
Local firefighters later confirmed that the deceased had been the driver of the vehicle.
The regional Mossos d’Esquadra police force identified him as a 48-year-old British man who lived in the municipality.
Normally Dry Waterway Became Dangerous
The watercourse where the tragedy occurred is understood to be dry under normal conditions.
A town hall official said the amount and speed of the water on Wednesday night were highly unusual.
“It is normally a dry waterway but in exceptional circumstances, it fills with water,” the official said, describing the volume and force of the water as “very exceptional.”
A source familiar with the area said the watercourse is not normally classified among the region’s officially identified flood-risk waterways.
The source suggested the victim may not have appreciated how dangerous the conditions had become until the water had already surrounded his vehicle.
Investigation Treats Death as Accident
Police are currently treating the incident as a tragic accident.
The victim is believed to have been travelling alone, although authorities are expected to establish exactly why he was in the area and whether he was attempting to reach his home.
The watercourse runs between two residential areas, while the British man is understood to have lived on the Las Colinas residential estate.
It was not immediately known how long he had been resident in Olivella.
A forensic examination will be carried out to establish the precise cause of death.
An autopsy is expected to be conducted if the initial examination does not conclusively establish that he drowned.
Storms Batter Catalonia and Valencia
The fatal incident occurred as powerful storms brought torrential rain and flash flooding to large areas of eastern and north-eastern Spain.
Spain’s national weather agency AEMET had issued warnings for heavy rainfall across eastern parts of the country, including Barcelona.
The extreme weather caused widespread disruption across Catalonia and Valencia, with roads submerged, transport services interrupted and flights cancelled.
Several metro stations in Barcelona were closed, buses were diverted and train services were disrupted as authorities responded to the flooding.
Valencia Records Intense Rainfall
The storm also produced exceptionally heavy rainfall around Valencia, where more than 70 millimetres of rain was recorded within just 30 minutes.
The conditions have revived memories of the catastrophic flooding that struck Valencia in 2024, when more than 200 people died.
In Olivella, however, the immediate focus remains on the circumstances surrounding the death of the British resident, whose vehicle was overwhelmed by a watercourse that is ordinarily dry.
