Winds, rain disrupt transport across Spain, man missing

A man who was swept out to sea off the Spanish island of Mallorca remained missing on Monday as an Atlantic depression dubbed Storm Ana made its way across the Iberian Peninsula, bringing with it strong winds and rain that have disrupted Spain's transport networks.

Strong winds continued to batter the coast of the Balearic island of Mallorca, where emergency services were scouring the water near Santa Ponca for a man who was pulled into the rough seas, and public safety alerts remained in place warning people to take precautions near the coast due to the adverse weather conditions, Efe news agency reported.

The strong winds were not localized to Spain's Mediterranean islands, however, and some 50 flights were cancelled across the country, from Barcelona's El Prat, where 21 scheduled flights were grounded, and Alicante, to northern cities such as Bilbao, Santander and Santiago de Compostela.

Galicia, in the northwestern corner of the Penisula, was one of the regions worst hit by the storm, with over 300 cases of wind-related damage recorded so far, the majority resulting from falling trees, although no injuries were reported from that region.

The heaviest downpours of rain were also recorded in Galicia, where some localities witnessed over 200 liters of rainfall per square meter.

Gusts of up to 145 kph (90 mph) were recorded in Spain's Basque region, located on the border of France.

--IANS

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