People who were trapped in cars and homes after heavy rain caused flooding in Valencia, Spain were rescued. The popular holiday destination faced travel disruption, with the airport having to close temporarily and trains being stopped. Flights were briefly halted at Valencia airport in eastern Spain following hours of torrential rain, airport officials told AFP.
It's not the first time this year that the region in eastern Spain flooded as the area saw record rainfall in May. The storm which began late on Friday battered the region with high winds and heavy rain, with the downpour intensifying on Saturday.
Air traffic was initially suspended but the airport later reopened.
{{/usCountry}}Air traffic was initially suspended but the airport later reopened.
{{/usCountry}}"Valencia airport is now operational. In the end, 10 flights were diverted to other airports and there were 28 cancellations," Spain's AENA airport operator said on Twitter.
Spain's air traffic control authority Enaire earlier said all flights had been suspended due to "heavy thunderstorms" over the airport.
"Valencia airport has had to close the runway due to water accumulation, according to the airport's operations centre," the emergency services tweeted.
Videos shared widely on Twitter showed floodwaters surging on roads and washing over the bonnets of parked cars . The storm also halted trains on several commuter lines in the Valencia area, state railway operator ADIF said.