VIDEO: Dramatic rescue of woman from floating car in Spain
Driver had attempted to cross a flooded underpass after a weekend of heavy rains in Valencia region
A woman was rescued from the roof of her car on Monday after the vehicle came close to being fully submerged in a flooded underpass in the Spanish city of Sagunto, in the Mediterranean province of Valencia.
The motorist had attempted to drive through even though access to the underpass had reportedly been fenced off because of high water levels.
The driver allegedly ignored warning signs near the underpass
As the car quickly began to sink, the driver was able to get out through the passenger seat window. She then climbed on the roof with her belongings to wait for help to arrive.
A television crew captured her plight, and images of a woman standing atop a gently floating red hatchback quickly spread on social media.
It was journalists who first alerted the local emergency services. Half an hour later, the stranded motorist was taken to safety on a firefighter’s shoulders.
Mayor Francisco Fernández said the motorist had ignored signs warning drivers that the underpass had been cut off.
Heavy weekend rains dumped 100 liters/m2 in places like Sagunto, where around nine other drivers had to be rescued from the same flooded underpass throughout Sunday night, the regional daily Información reported.
The storms caused considerable damage to agriculture and produced unusual weather events such as the biggest water spout in a decade.
English version by Susana Urra.
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