{
  "id": 12231314,
  "title": "Why the rain opened a hole in front of Granollers’ courts",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/why-the-rain-opened-a-hole-in-front-of-granollers-courts",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-05T21:16:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Euro Weekly News",
    "slug": "euro-weekly-news",
    "url": "https://euroweeklynews.com/2026/10/05/why-the-rain-opened-a-hole-in-front-of-granollers-courts/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Heavy rains in Catalonia triggered sinkholes, causing a road opening near Granollers' courts. On Monday, 107 litres per square metre of rainwater poured onto already saturated ground, adding to the 250 litres already there. The larger hole, on Carrer Josep Umbert i Ventura, measured about five metres across and six deep. Offices across the street, including the courthouse, were evacuated, but no one was injured. The hole remained cordoned off, and crews warned it could grow. Another sinkhole opened on Carrer Equador in Font Verda. The rain also flooded the ring road, stopped Rodalies, inundated hospital stores, and led to schools being shut. Protecció Civil issued an ES-Alert, temporarily advising residents to stay indoors. Spain often experiences such sinkholes after intense rainfall. The phenomenon, known as a socavón, occurs when water seeps into cracks in the asphalt or overwhelms a gully, running into layers beneath the road. Once the sub-base is saturated, it loses strength, causing the road to drop into the void. The Granollers sinkholes were likely caused by a sudden burst of rain, rather than a repeat of previous events. The day saw 1,650 emergency calls and around 46 rescues, including a woman and a three-year-old pulled from a car. Spain also faced flooding in Extremadura, with a red-alert afternoon reported. Warnings continued for several regions Tuesday, with orange alerts covering Huesca and Lleida, and yellow alerts for Extremadura, Toledo, Salamanca, parts of Andalucia, Galicia, Madrid, and the Barcelona coast.",
  "summary": "The weekend storm in Catalonia was already a serious travel story. Monday’s rain did something else. It opened the road. […]",
  "key_points": [
    "Heavy rains triggered sinkholes near Granollers' courts.",
    "Road opening measured about five metres across and six deep.",
    "Emergency calls reached 1,650, with 46 rescues."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}