SPAIN’S tourist spots were hit by serious flooding today as a man escaped death when a palm tree collapsed seconds after he passed by.
The terrifying moment was caught on camera in Ayamonte, a resort town near Portugal, as Storm Alice wreaked havoc in southern Spain.
A red weather alert was issued for the coast of Huelva province, where streets turned into raging rivers and trees were uprooted.
People have posted dramatic videos on social media with a caption reading: “These winds are definitely caused by a tornado – the force and damage it has caused in Gibraleón is not normal.
“I repeat, we remain on alert, follow the instructions of the authorities and avoid silly risks.”
Seville was also hit by torrential rain, with locals saying it didn’t stop raining for three hours straight.
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Footage shared online shows the pedestrian strolling with an umbrella moments before the disaster struck.
The woman filming gasped as she watched the palm tree sway violently in the gale.
“I don’t know what he’s doing with the umbrella open with the gale blowing,” he said.
A split second later, the tree collapsed with a thud, missing the man by inches.
“It’s down, it’s down. I was saying it was going to happen,” he shouted repeatedly in shock.
Ayamonte, a popular coastal getaway just 15 minutes from the Portuguese border, was among the worst affected.
A local resident filmed a street that had turned into a raging river and criticized the late response to warnings.
“A relative of mine just called me crying hysterically because her daughter is stuck at school studying when there is a red alert,” she said.
“They just warned Ayamonte. What kind of system is that!”
In Seville, water flooded buses as drivers struggled through submerged streets and paralyzed traffic.
the chaotic climate It came exactly one year after the deadly Storm Dana in Valencia, which killed more than 200 people.
The king of Spain Philip He was attending a state funeral this afternoon in the eastern city to commemorate the anniversary of that tragedy.
The latest flooding comes just weeks after the east coast of Spain and Ibiza were hit by torrential rain and flash flooding.
Earlier this month, Storm Alice unleashed fresh chaos in southern Catalonia, causing the army to be called in for the second time in two weeks.
Floodwaters engulfed roads, including the AP-7 motorway along Spain’s Mediterranean coast, which had to be closed in both directions.
Cars became trapped when the main road turned into a river.
At least 1,100 people were forced to spend the night in emergency shelters after the storm hit the Terres de l’Ebre region.
The southern coast, including the stunning resort town of Marbella on the Costa del Sol, has now joined the list of areas affected by flooding.
Until now, Marbella had largely been spared the bad weather that plagues the rest of Spain from summer.
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But today, its streets were battered by incessant downpours as Storm Alice moved forward.
Forecasters say the weather at the luxury resort should finally start to improve tomorrow.
