A woman aged 74 died near the eastern city of Girona as she was swept away by the sheer volume of water, which forced several residents from their homes as a precaution and swept cars down rain-drenched streets, fire brigade sources said.

The rain also flooded a metro station in Barcelona and forced several schools to be temporarily closed in both the Catalan capital and Girona, prompting regional government officials to implement low-level emergency procedures with the bad weather forecast to continue.

Emergency services in Catalonia and Asturias answered hundreds of calls to deal with fallen trees which had blocked roads and caused serious traffic disruption.

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