BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The recurring storms in eastern Spain that last week caused massive flooding and killed more than 200 people, especially near Valencia, dumped rain on Barcelona on Monday, prompting authorities to suspend commuter rail services.
Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he has suspended all commuter trains in northeastern Catalonia, a region of 8 million inhabitants, at the request of civil protection officials.
Mobile phones in Barcelona beeped with a warning of “extreme and persistent rainfall” on the southern edge of the city. The warning urged people to avoid normally dry gorges or canals.
Puente said the rain had forced air traffic controllers to change the course of 15 flights at Barcelona airport, located on the city’s southern flank.
Several highways are closed due to flooding.
Classes in Tarragona, a city in southern Catalonia about halfway between Barcelona and Valencia, were canceled after a red alert was issued for rain.
Meanwhile, in Valencia, the search continued for bodies in homes and thousands of wrecked cars scattered in the streets, on highways and in canals that channeled last week’s deluge into populated areas.
Citizens, volunteers and thousands of soldiers and police are helping with the massive clearing of mud and debris.
