Portugal floods 2015: Elderly man drowns after heavy storm hits Algarve

Flood: a car is submerged in water in downtown Albufeira
EPA
Rachel Blundy4 November 2015

An elderly man has drowned after a heavy storm caused severe flooding in Portugal's Algarve region.

The 80-year-old man was reported to have died after his car became submerged in water in the popular tourist region.

Municipal workers, storekeepers and residents shovelled away thick mud and fire crews pumped rainwater out of basements in Albufeira, the hardest-hit resort.

Under water: residents are trapped on top of a supermarket building in downtown Albufeira
EPA

The storm swept away cars, uprooted trees and washed away roads. Stores in the town centre were flooded with brown water almost to the ceiling.

There were reports of waves up to five metres high coupled with winds of about 50mph.

Authorities were cleaning up and counting the cost of the damage on Monday.

Heavy rain also hit Spain, causing extensive flooding, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

Spain's meteorological agency warned substantial rains and strong gusts of wind would affect "most of the Peninsula, Balearic and Canary Islands" until Tuesday.

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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