Tragedy in Lleida as four pensioners die in flood

Four pensioners who were residents in an old-people's home in the town of Agramunt in the province of Lleida, in northeast Spain, were killed on Tuesday when rising flood water trapped them in a basement.

The four women who were all residents at the Ribera del Sio old people's home, died when the Sio river, which runs close by to the residency burst its banks as the result of the heavy rain which has affected all of Spain, including the Catalan region, in the past 24 hours.

Reports say that water rushed into the town, flooding the basement of the residency in a matter of seconds.

The local mayor, in an interview on Catalan television explained that some of the people who had been trapped in the basement had "mobility problems," while others suffered problems which meant they were "tied down to sleep."

The fire brigade were called, but were unable to save the four victims, although five other people were rescued whose lives are not in danger.

The four women were all well known in the town and the local authority has called for three days official mourning.

Meanwhile the residency where they had lived was a relatively new construction as it was built in 2005. It had all of the necessary permission and safety certificates and at the moment is home for around 70 people, according to the Spanish media.

Monday night's storms in the region saw fire brigade in the Catalan region attend over 100 emergency calls for issues of localized flooding and fallen trees, while trains on the line between Barcelona and Madrid also suffered slight delays. Endit