A red weather warning for torrential rain has been issued in part of Spain's Catalonia region, after the neighboring region of Valencia was hit by widespread flooding in which at least 217 people have died.

The red alert previously issued by the national weather agency Aemet for Valencia has been withdrawn, but in Barcelona, warnings of ”extreme and persistent rainfall” in the southern parts of the city have been sent to mobile phones, with residents urged to avoid normally dry ravines and canals.

In Catalonia, trains are being cancelled indefinitely, Transport Minister Óscar Puente announced. Several flights at Barcelona's El Prat airport are being diverted and motorways have been closed.

Rescue workers who have been searching for victims in a large flooded garage in Valencia, where it was feared that many dead would be found, have not found any fatalities, local police announced according to the Cadena Ser radio station.

Source:TT-Aftonbladet.se