Flooding in Costa Blanca Leads to Dramatic Helicopter Rescue

Summary:

On June 13, 2024, significant flooding hit the Costa Blanca region in south-eastern Spain, including the city of Murcia, causing widespread chaos and necessitating emergency rescues. Torrential downpours led to roads flooding, with emergency services receiving hundreds of calls for assistance, including 200 in a single day on the Costa Blanca and 113 in Murcia. One driver had to be rescued by helicopter. The floods also affected popular tourist destinations like Benidorm and Alicante, prompting weather warnings and road closures. The flooding followed heavy rains in Mallorca that disrupted Palma Airport, where 9cm of rain fell in less than an hour, grounding flights and causing water damage inside the terminal. Normal operations at the airport resumed on Wednesday. Meanwhile, other parts of Europe are experiencing contrasting weather conditions, with unseasonably cold temperatures in the UK and a heatwave affecting Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus.