Spain flood kills two and injures two babies

Torrential rain and a subsequent landslide triggered by extreme weather caused two fatalities and injuries to two infants in a small village in northwestern Spain on Saturday. The victims, aged approximately 60 and 80 years old, were identified by emergency services in the Castile and Leon region following the disaster that struck the village of Manzanedo de Valdueza.

Two babies were reported to have sustained bruising, while a third individual, an 80-year-old man, was later found unharmed. Rescue teams, including firefighters, police, ambulances, and the Civil Guard, were immediately deployed to the region, which was depicted in footage taken by a rescue helicopter as being surrounded by hilly, forested terrain.

Images published by local media showed a substantial accumulation of stones and mud that had swept through the village and destroyed a vehicle. Marco Morala, the mayor of the nearby town of Ponferrada, informed reporters that intense storms in the surrounding hills had triggered a massive surge of stones, mud, and sludge, resulting in the fatalities.

Morala also mentioned that the disaster had caused significant material damage in the neighboring village of Bouzas. The flood occurred during a public holiday and comes at a time when Spain has been dealing with extreme weather conditions, including heatwaves and wildfires. The Leon province, which includes Manzanedo de Valdueza, has experienced some of Spain's worst wildfires in 2025, marking a record year for hectares burned in the country, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.