Flash flood and landslide in northwest Spain kill two women, injure two babies

A flash flood followed by a landslide struck the small village of Mansanedo de Valdueza in northwest Spain on Saturday, killing two older women and injuring two infants, regional authorities said.

"The deaths of two women, aged around 60 and 80, have been confirmed," the region's emergency services in Castile and León said, adding that two babies were treated for bruising. A man in his 80s who had been reported missing was later found unharmed.

Emergency crews — firefighters, police, ambulance teams and members of the Civil Guard — were sent to the scene. Helicopter footage from the response shows the village surrounded by hilly, wooded terrain and the route of the mud and rock flow.

Debris buried at least one vehicle

Local media published images showing a grey mass of stones and mud that swept through the settlement and completely buried a car. Authorities said the heavy runoff and the landslide came during a national holiday.

Marco Morala, mayor of nearby Ponferrada, told reporters that "the strong storms in the hills caused a large deposit of rocks, mud and silt," and that the same weather also caused material damage in the neighbouring village of Busas.

The flooding and landslide come while Spain has been facing weeks of contrasting extreme weather, including heatwaves and wildfires. The province of León, where Mansanedo de Valdueza is located, was hit by some of Spain's worst wildfires in 2025 — a year that set a national record for burned hectares, according to the European Forest Fire Information System.

Rescue teams remained on site to assist residents and assess the full scale of the damage.

Photo: Printskrin / Frans njuz 24