THE entire town of Grazalema is being evacuated amid fears the ground beneath it could ‘explode’ due to unprecedented water pressure.
In a historic move, authorities have ordered all 2,000 residents to leave their homes immediately and head to the nearby city of Ronda.
The decision comes after experts warned the limestone aquifer under the village is so saturated it risks turning the soil into ‘liquid’, potentially causing buildings to collapse.
Residents have described scenes of ‘absolute terror’ as water began bursting out of the ground ‘like explosions’.
Locals report water jetting out of electrical sockets inside their homes and walls appearing to ‘bleed’ as the hydrostatic pressure forces moisture through the brickwork.
Regional president Juanma Moreno warned earlier today that the ground in the area ‘can’t swallow any more water, it just spits it out’.
“We have made the decision to evacuate Grazalema as a precaution,” he said in a statement.
“It will be done in an orderly manner, by zones and with the complete cooperation from all administrations.
“The absolute priority is to mitigate the risk to the population.”
Civil Protection teams and Guardia Civil officers are currently going door-to-door to ensure the mandatory evacuation order is followed.
Families are being told to pack essential documents, medication and a change of clothes before fleeing the area.
Those with vehicles have been instructed to drive themselves to Ronda, where the El Fuerte sports pavilion has been set up as a makeshift shelter.
Buses and government vehicles are being used to transport anyone without a car to ensure no one is left behind in the danger zone.
Grazalema, famous for being the wettest village in Spain, has shattered its own rainfall records, receiving a staggering 656mm in just 36 hours.
To put that figure in perspective, it is more rain than the city of Sevilla typically receives in an entire year.
The subterranean pressure caused by this deluge has led to fears of ‘soil liquefaction’, where saturated earth loses its strength and behaves like a liquid slurry.
This could lead to catastrophic landslides or the structural failure of houses built on the steep slopes of the Sierra de Grazalema.
The total evacuation of the village is part of a wider crisis across Andalucia, where Storm Leonardo has now displaced more than 4,000 people.
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