Flash floods and landslide in Castile and Leon claim two lives, injure infants

On a public holiday, intense rainfall in the Castile and Leon region unleashed a flood and landslide that hit the rural village of Manzanedo de Valdueza. Authorities reported that two women, roughly 60 and 80 years old, died as a result of the disaster, and two babies were treated for bruising injuries. An 80-year-old man initially listed as missing was subsequently located without harm.

Emergency responders—firefighters, police, ambulances and the Civil Guard—were dispatched, and aerial footage showed the devastated, hilly terrain. The mayor of nearby Ponferrada, Marco Morala, described the event as a massive flow of stones, mud and sludge that also damaged property in the adjacent village of Bouzas. The incident follows weeks of extreme weather in Spain, including severe heatwaves and record-setting wildfires in the Leon province the previous year.