A DESPERATE search is underway to locate a 12-year-old boy with autism who vanished after torrential rainfall sparked flash flooding in Barcelona.
The Mossos d’Esquadra are urging the public for their help in finding Rami, who has been missing in Granollers, Barcelona province since Sunday morning.
Friends and family say Rami is 1.73m tall with dark skin, a robust build and short curly hair.
He was last seen wearing a turquoise T-shirt, orange sports shorts and Crocs-style shoes.
Officers say Rami, who has autism and communication difficulties, may be disorientated.
According to reports, he left home in the early hours of Sunday morning frightened by the weather after the region was hit by a powerful ‘Mediterranean mini-hurricane’.
State meteorological agency Aemet issued a rare red ‘danger to life’ weather alert with Granollers bearing the brunt of the bad weather.
The city recorded a staggering 108mm of rainfall in just six hours, with several locals becoming trapped in their cars after nearby rivers burst their banks in the early hours.
Rami’s relatives say he has run away before – but never for more than 24 hours.
An operation co-ordination centre has been established in Granollers to direct the search.
The regional fire and rescue service have deployed eight ground units, an underwater special operations group, a search-dog group and a drone unit to assist with the efforts.
They are also coordinating local volunteers who registered to help on Monday.
The search is currently concentrated on a patch of farmland and woodland within an urban area of Granollers.
The desperate pursuit comes after a British girl with autism was found alone in the pouring rain in just a nappy after vanishing during the storms.
The four-year-old’s family issued a frantic plea for help after she escaped from their holiday home on the Costa Blanca.
She was found by Spanish police in a residential estate and taken to hospital for treatment, before being reunited with her family.
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