A second body has been found in Sant Quintí de Mediona, where a father and son disappeared after being swept away by the flood.

San Quintín de Mediona (Alt Penedès)Firefighters from the Generalitat (Catalan government) located a second body at noon this Monday in the Sant Quintí de Mediona area, in the Alt Penedès region, where a father and his son had disappeared on Sunday. The family car they were traveling in was swept away by the rising water level of a stream due to the storm that affected much of the country. By Sunday evening, emergency services had already The minor's body was found in the Bolos River, in Sant Pere de Riudebitlles, and now they suspect that this second body may be that of the father. "The evidence is quite consistent with it being the person we were looking for, but we must wait for identification," explained Fire Department Sub-Inspector Guillem Amorós.

Since early this morning, teams from the Fire Department and the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police) have combed a 17-km stretch of the Bitlles River, where the flood swept the family car to its mouth in the Anoia River. Improved weather conditions have facilitated the search, as yesterday's water level reached 60 cubic meters per second. "This has allowed us to look at many more areas and scan the riverbank," Amorós explained. The stream that swept away the car carrying the father and son is a flood-prone area that is usually almost dry for much of the year, with water reaching up to one or two centimeters in height. However, on Sunday, due to the downpour, it rose rapidly to between two and a half and three meters in height.

The body of the second victim, whose identity has yet to be confirmed, has been found in Sant Quintí de Mediona, a few meters from the command post that the Fire Department has set up to organize the search. "The body was found 800 meters from where the vehicle was swept away, next to the riverbed, in an area of reeds," explained Amorós. "The various identification tasks are now underway, and we are waiting to determine what to do next," added the regional delegate of the Penedès regional government, Lluís Valls.

More than 100 firefighters have participated in the search. "Unfortunately, rescue teams have found the lifeless body of the second person missing due to the downpours in Catalonia," the President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Salvador Illa, also reported via X. Illa offered his condolences and deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the victims, while urging caution and responsibility. "We must follow all the recommendations of Civil Protection," he concluded.