Terrifying moment when Madrid commuters are trapped in the flooded metro

A group of travelers aboard a railway line in Madrid saw their carriage suddenly flooded with water when record torrential rain hit Spain from Sunday to Monday.

Shocking images from inside a subway line show passengers walking away from the door connecting train cars as water seeps through cracks.

Concerned passengers could be seen filming the flooding, with the downpour visible through the train’s windows, making it appear as though the train was stuck in a waterfall.

City officials said the flash flooding began on Sunday, with Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida warning residents to take shelter as 120 liters per square meter of rain was expected to fall in the span of just 12 hours.

“Due to the exceptional and abnormal situation, in which rainfall records will be broken, I ask the people of Madrid to stay at home today” Martinez-Almeida wrote informerly Twitter.

The mayor noted that the flooding far exceeded the city’s 1972 record of just 87 liters per square meter.

The travelers could do little more than film the torrential train engulfing their carriage, the rain looking more like a waterfall through the windows. Twitter/@Rainmaker1973
Passengers quickly moved away from the gate as floodwater began to come in.Passengers quickly moved away from the gate as flood water began to enter. Twitter/@Rainmaker1973
A traveler took a picture through the reflective window to show the heavy downpour.A traveler took a picture through the reflective window to show the heavy downpour. Twitter/@xFTipo

The rain transformed the vibrant city of Madrid into a city covered in mud, where cars were swept away by the flash flood and transport lines were eventually shut down.

Spanish authorities said at least three people have died as a result of flooding in rural Toledo, about 50 kilometers southwest of Madrid.

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Three other people were also reported missing, including a father and son whose car was swept into the Alberche River in Aldea del Fresno, and an 84-year-old man who was swept away by a flood current in Villamanta.

Entire cars were swept away in the hardest-hit regions, including Aldea del Fresno, where a father and son were reported missing after rain swept away their vehicle. Entire cars were swept away in the hardest-hit regions, including Aldea del Fresno, where a father and son were reported missing after rain swept away their vehicle. AFP via Getty Images
People walked through the flooded streets of Madrid as the rain began to ease on Monday. People walked through the flooded streets of Madrid as the rain began to ease on Monday. REUTERS
City officials believe the storm surpassed the previous rainfall record set in 1972, and Villamanta officers are searching for a missing 84-year-old man. City officials believe the storm surpassed the previous rainfall record set in 1972, and Villamanta agents are searching for a missing 84-year-old man. ZUMAPRESS.com

The storm appears much worse than the deadly 2019 rain that killed two people in southeastern Spain, which saw the city of Ontinyent see more than 15 inches of rain in just a few hours.

Spain’s national meteorological agency, AEMET, issued a maximum red alert notice on Sunday for Toledo, Madrid and the city of Cádiz.

The agency said the storm that hit the country was the weather phenomenon known as DANA, the Spanish acronym for “high-level isolated depression,” which causes sudden torrential rains.

With postal cables

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Source: vtt.edu.vn

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