They are looking for the driver of a van dragged by a river in Llinars del Vallès

The Catalan Fire Service is working with around twenty crews to search for the driver of a van swept away by the waters of the Mogent River in Llinars del Vallès due to the heavy rains affecting Catalonia this Friday. Emergency teams accessed the vehicle, which overturned at the river's mouth, between the Giola stream and the Mogent River, which runs parallel to the AP-7 highway. They found no one inside. The search operation will continue throughout the night. The Fire Service explained that they received the alert from a relative of the driver. The relative explained that the missing man had called from the van, saying he was stuck in the water and was now reaching the cab. The alert was received at 2:32 p.m.

Although the spot where the car was found wasn't a typical road crossing, firefighters are working on the hypothesis that the point where the vehicle got stuck, a kilometer further up, is a crossing that is usually dry and frequently used by cars. According to the mayor, Martí Pujol, the man apparently tried to cross via a footbridge closed off with police tape by the local police.

More than 40 firefighters have begun searching for the driver, with personnel from the underwater, canine, and drone divisions. Initially, a helicopter was also involved, but it was later withdrawn and replaced by a drone. The head of the emergency response team, Sub-Inspector Guillem Recio, explained that one of the difficulties of the search is the river's high water level, and indicated that the operation will continue throughout the night. The mayor stated that the driver was not from the town and had likely taken the wrong path. He also explained that the flash flood swept the van away "in just a few minutes," and that the area where he tried to cross is a point where the stream "narrows" and where the flow of water cannot be controlled. Six sections of the river are considered dangerous.

By 4 p.m., the 112 emergency hotline had received 352 calls related to the rain. According to data provided by the Catalan Water Agency (ACA), this was a consequence of the storm. Regina This Friday afternoon, six sections of river in Catalonia are at risk. Specifically, the Fluvià River has a flow rate of 346 cubic meters per second as it passes through Esponellà; the Tordera reaches 187 cubic meters per second in Fogars de la Selva; the Muga registers 103 cubic meters per second as it passes through Sant Llorenç de la Muga, the same as the Ges as it passes through Torelló. Also at risk are the Ter River in Sant Joan de les Abadesses, with 87.2 cubic meters per second, and the Brugent River in Amer, with 58 cubic meters per second.