Emergency Rescue After Sudden Flooding
Firefighters from the Generalitat rescued a 34-year-old woman and her five-month-old baby on Tuesday 29 September after their vehicle became trapped in fast-rising floodwaters from the Canyars stream in Gavà. Emergency services received two near-simultaneous alerts via the 112 emergency line at around 11:15 AM, one from the Gavà Municipal Police and another from the trapped driver. The vehicle had been swept into the swollen stream, with water quickly rising to seat level. Seven fire units responded, including underwater rescue specialists from GRAE Subaquàtic. Upon arrival, firefighters secured the car with ropes to prevent it from being carried away and deployed a hook ladder between the vehicle and a stream bank wall.
The baby was evacuated first, followed by the mother, who was given a wetsuit to protect her from the cold water.
Medical Transfer and Broader Weather Impact
The Medical Emergency System (SEM) transported both mother and child to a hospital in Sant Boi de Llobregat, where they were reported to be in mild condition. At a joint briefing at the Department of the Interior on Wednesday morning, representatives from Civil Protection, the Fire Department, and Meteocat confirmed no direct personal injuries had been recorded across the region from the storm. However, between 9:00 AM and late Tuesday evening, firefighters attended 394 weather-related incidents, while the 112 emergency line received over 600 calls. Most incidents, mainly flooding of basements, roads, and garages, were concentrated in the Alt Penedès, Anoia, and Baix Llobregat regions. In Gavà, the overflowing stream also swept away several parked vehicles, all of which were fortunately unoccupied at the time.
Primary sources: sem.gencat.cat, govern.cat. Reported by elliberal.cat, metropoliabierta.cat, diaricatalunya.cat, es.ara.cat, naciodigital.cat, liniaxarxa.cat, ultimahora.es, elconfidencial.com.
