Flood clean-up continues in Malaga after thousands forced to evacuate

Malaga residents deal with the aftermath of heavy rain and flooding after thousands of residents were forced to leave their homes

Clean-up efforts are ongoing in Malaga after the region suffered its worst flooding in decades.

Torrential and persistent rain flooded streets and forced schools and shops to close on Wednesday, just weeks after deadly flash floods struck Spain.

More than 3,000 people were evacuated from their homes on the banks of the Guadalhorce, Campanilla, Vélez and Benamargosa rivers and trains between Spain’s main cities were cancelled.

Spanish weather forecaster AEMET put Malaga on red alert, saying up to 70 millimetres (roughly 3 inches) of rain had fallen in an hour.

Parts of Valencia were placed under the highest alert on Wednesday evening and the regional government restricted the use of private vehicles until Thursday.

The region is still reeling after heavy flash flooding killed more than 200 people and destroyed thousands of homes on October 29.

There have been no reports of deaths from this week’s storms.

Residents look at cars piled up after being swept away by floods in Valencia, Spain on October 30 / Credit: AP

Many people were caught off guard by the flash floods, leading to protests over regional authorities’ delays in warning the population.

The army was drafted in to help respond to the flooding, with people rescued from their homes and bodies recovered from cars and underground car parks.

On Wednesday, Spanish King Felipe VI visited armed forces in Valencia assisting in the massive clean-up of the floods.