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WORLD NEWS Friday 13 September 2019

Southeast Spain hit by worst storms on record, 2 dead

Associated Press pulled three people from Clariano rose nine meters
MADRID (AP) — A large a river. They included a (about 30 feet) in two hours
area of southeast Spain 57-year-old man and his around the Valencia town
was battered Thursday 33-year-old son, Europa of Aielo de Malferit and
by what in some places Press reported. A helicop- tore apart a 16th-century
was the heaviest rainfall ter winched a third person bridge there, local mayor
on record, with the storms to safety. Juan Rafael Espí told Span-
wreaking widespread de- Four police were injured in ish private news agency
struction and killing at least the rescue operation. Europa Press.
two people. The Spanish weather ser- Closed roads and train lines
The regional emergency vice AEMET classified the disrupted travel. Trucks,
service said a 51-year-old region as being “at ex- trees and fences blew
woman and her 61-year- treme risk” from torrential In this image made from video provided by Atlas, fire engines down, and a mini-tornado
old brother were found downpours. It forecast tor- drive by a flooded river, in Ontiyente, Spain, Thursday, Sept. 12 was also reported.
dead inside an overturned rential downpours of up to 2019. In Albacete, southwest of
car that floodwaters 90 mm (3 ½ inches) an hour Associated Press Valencia, 13 people were
washed away in Caudete, and up to 180 mm (seven night. Ontinyent mayor and long-term financial rescued from cars or from
about 100 kilometers (60 inches) over 24 hours. Jorge Rodríguez said the help to rebuild. the roofs of buildings, emer-
miles) south of Valencia, The storm was passing over town had endured its Brown water rushed through gency services told Europa
Spanish private news agen- the Mediterranean coast heaviest rainfall on record, streets, washing away cars, Press. None was hurt.
cy Europa Press reported. regions of Valencia, Alican- with more than 400 mm and almost reaching the Across the region, emer-
Officials had initially said te and Murcia during Thurs- (15 inches) by Thursday af- tops of the front doors of gency services received
the victims were an elderly day and Friday. ternoon. He said the town houses along the riverbank. hundreds of calls for help.
wife and husband but later One of the first places to be would ask the national Nearby, sandy-colored Authorities mobilized the
corrected themselves. hit was Ontinyent, a town government to declare a water surged over the Military Emergencies Unit, a
The Valencia fire depart- south of Valencia, where catastrophe in the area, top of the Pantano de Al- part of the Spanish armed
ment said in a tweet that the River Clariano flooded which would entitle local mansa reservoir and raged forces that provides disas-
emergency crews also the streets Wednesday people to emergency aid down its spillway. The River ter relief.q

12 slightly hurt in northern Cyprus Turkish army depot blast

Associated Press major injuries as a result of shooting it screams and
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — the blast. runs away from the win-
A pre-dawn explosion at Earlier reports suggested dow.
an army munitions depot that an undetected fire Ersin Tatar, prime minister
in breakaway northern that broke out in the area of the breakaway Turkish
Cyprus shattered window had triggered the explo- Cypriot north of the ethni-
panes and slightly injured sion. cally divided nation, told
12 people while fires ig- Investigators have already reporters that nine of 12
nited by the blast were launched a probe to de- individuals who suffered
brought under control, of- termine the blast’s exact minor injuries were treated
ficials said Thursday. cause, the ministry said. and released from hospi-
In a statement, Turkey’s A series of powerful ex- tal. The other three remain A worker on a balcony, below right, cleans up the debris after
defense ministry said the plosions followed the ini- in hospital for observation. an explosion at an army’s munitions depot near the coastal
explosion occurred at a tial blast, video posted Tatar said soldiers at the city of Kyrenia in the Turkish occupied area at northern Cyprus,
depot under the Turkish ar- on social media showed, depot managed to flee Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019.
my’s munitions command causing some bystanders the explosion without suf- Associated Press
6 kilometers (4 miles) east watching the blast to scat- fering any injuries. He said examine the safety of mili- electricity has been cut
of the port town of Kyre- ter in fear. In one video, the blast and fire affect- tary installations that are in the vicinity of the blast
nia at 1:30 a.m. Thursday shattering glass can be ed an area of roughly 0.2 close to residential areas. while nearby homes had
(2230 GMT Wednesday) heard following a loud square kilometers. He said Kudret Ozersay, the for- been evacuated. He also
and that there were no blast as the young woman authorities would carefully eign minister, said that urged area residents to