AROUND 30 people were forced to flee their homes in Malaga province after torrential rain sent three rivers bursting over their banks on Sunday.
Authorities in Cartama, west of Malaga, opened an emergency shelter in a local sports pavilion as Storm Francis lashed the region, dumping a staggering 170 litres of rain per square metre in less than 12 hours.
The rivers Grande, Guadalhorce and Manilva all spilled over, overwhelming drainage systems and prompting Andalucian authorities to activate their emergency flood plan.
The drama came just days after deadly flooding on the Costa del Sol and in Granada claimed three lives, underlining the lethal force of the extreme weather battering southern Spain.
Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalucian regional government, urged residents to take “extreme caution” after Spain’s weather agency AEMET issued a red alert for Malaga province amid fears of more heavy rain and flash floods.
Emergency services were stretched as they dealt with more than 120 incidents across the province, from cars trapped in floodwater to streets transformed into raging torrents. No serious injuries were reported.
Civil Protection teams warned residents in flood-prone neighbourhoods of Cartama to evacuate as a precaution, or to move to higher floors if they were unable to leave.
Police, firefighters and volunteers were deployed in force, with more than 35 police officers, eight fire crews and 23 Civil Protection volunteers monitoring danger zones throughout the area.
The military’s emergency unit, the UME, was placed on standby, while several roads were shut due to flooding and landslides. Interurban bus services were also suspended.
The latest deluge follows closely on the heels of last week’s deadly floods, which killed three people on the Costa del Sol and left more than 80 buildings badly damaged in Cartama.
On December 30, the bodies of two men were recovered from the Fahada riverbed near Cartama after they attempted to wade across the swollen waterway during a red weather alert.
In a separate tragedy, a young man died in Illora, near Granada, after trying to cross a stream on his motorbike. His passenger narrowly escaped by scrambling to safety.
In the aftermath, authorities in Cartama have called on the Spanish government to declare the town a ‘disaster zone’.
The latest flooding marks the fourth major inundation Cartama has suffered in less than a year, following severe storms in November 2024, March 2025 and December 2025.
After last week’s floods, streets in the town were left ankle- to waist-deep in mud and water.
Homes, businesses, garages and vehicles were swamped, with some residents reporting floodwaters rising to nearly a metre.
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