Spanish authorities protectively shut down schools, universities and day-care centres as torrential rains swept over the coastal southeast on Tuesday following a long drought, leaving behind flooded basements, submerged cars and closed-off roads.
Heavy rainfall was expected to continue throughout the rest of Tuesday in the worst-hit areas - including parts of the Murcia, Valencia and Andalusia regions - amid a spate of high-alert flood warnings from the government.
In the city of Cartagena, emergency services battled to drain heavily inundated streets. Local television footage showed water almost completely covering parked cars and motorbikes.
