Flood and landslide in northwestern Spain kill two women

Two women have been killed and two babies injured after torrential rain triggered a flood and landslide in rural northwestern Spain, according to emergency services. The incident took place on Saturday in the small village of Manzanedo de Valdueza, in the Castile and Leon region. Rescue teams were still dealing with the aftermath as local officials described significant mud and stone flows through the village.

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Emergency services in Castile and Leon said the deaths of two women, aged approximately 60 and 80, had been confirmed. They also said two babies were treated for bruises after the flood and landslide. A third person reported missing, a man in his 80s, was later found unharmed, reducing fears that more people had been caught in the disaster.

Firefighters, police, ambulances and the Civil Guard were sent to the scene, which was shown in helicopter footage surrounded by hilly, forested terrain. Local images showed a grey mass of stones and mud that had swept through the village and flattened a car. The mayor of nearby Ponferrada said fierce storms in the hills had triggered a large flow of stones, mud and sludge, and added that the neighbouring village of Bouzas also suffered material damage.

The disaster comes after weeks of extreme weather in Spain, where heatwaves and wildfires have dominated the summer. The timing is notable because the country has been dealing with the opposite end of the weather spectrum, moving from prolonged heat and fire risk to intense rainfall and flash flooding. In that sense, the incident highlights the vulnerability of rural communities in mountainous areas when severe weather turns quickly and local drainage and slopes are overwhelmed.

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The province of Leon, which includes Manzanedo de Valdueza, was among the areas hit by some of Spain's worst wildfires in 2025, a record year for hectares burned in the country. That recent fire season is relevant because it underlines how exposed the region has been to climate-related extremes over a short period. While the current incident is a flood and landslide rather than a fire, it adds to the pressure on local emergency services and municipal authorities already managing weather-related disruption.

It remains unclear how much rain fell in the area and whether any wider weather alerts were in force at the time of the disaster. Authorities have not said whether more homes or roads were damaged beyond the reported impact in Manzanedo de Valdueza and Bouzas. The next developments to watch are any further assessment of damage, confirmation of the full sequence of events, and whether officials issue new warnings for nearby communities.

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