This is the terrifying moment a waterspout tornado tears into boats moored at a port in a Spanish holiday hotspot. The twister caused significant damage to several vessels in the Costa Calida resort of Mazarron, located in the south-eastern region of Murcia, as well as devastating bar and restaurant terraces.
Onlookers could be overheard screaming as parts from yachts were sent flying high into the air and landed as debris on the sea promenade alongside upturned chairs, tables, and torn-off canopies. Others, including British tourists, were spotted trying to make a dash for safety as the waterspouts—part of the same weather family as tornadoes and often accompanied by dangerous lightning—surged toward the shore.
While there were no immediate reports of human casualties from the twister itself, the freak weather phenomenon occurred yesterday afternoon during a period of intense atmospheric instability. Local reports confirmed at least two twisters affected the area, which was on yellow alert yesterday, between 5pm and 6pm.
The scale of the destruction comes as some parts of the region were placed on maximum red alert. This included several municipalities in Malaga further south on Saturday, such as the Costa del Sol resort of Marbella, which was battered by heavy rain that caused severe flooding.
The human cost of the storms became clearer this morning. Police confirmed they had discovered the body of a man missing in Illora, in the province of Granada. Meanwhile, a massive search operation resumed this morning for another man who disappeared while trying to cross a swollen river in Alhaurin el Grande in neighbouring Malaga.
A friend of the man, who went missing with him late on Saturday in Alhaurin el Grande—a half-hour drive inland from the nearest Costa del Sol resort—was discovered dead yesterday afternoon. The pair, aged 54 and 53, had reportedly been trying to cross the Fahala River to get home after leaving a restaurant.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard, which launched the search operation, stated: “Around 5:05 PM today the lifeless body of one of the two missing men was found in the Fahala River.
“The search for the other man is continuing.” In an update at 9:00 AM local time today, the force added: “The search operation has just been resumed.
“Around 150 people are involved, half Civil Guard officers and the rest, including volunteers, local police, and Civil Protection workers. They are working in eight different groups, from the spot where the men went missing to the mouth of the river.”
The search for a third casualty in Illora was called off after his body was discovered by volunteers in the early hours of this morning under a tree trunk, roughly two miles from where he was last seen.
Local mayor Antonio Salazar said the victim, named Adrian, had been carried away by a torrent of water after trying to cross a stream on his motorbike at 10:30 AM yesterday. He was with a friend who managed to survive and raise the alarm.
In a separate incident on Saturday, a woman was left fighting for her life after a street light fell on her in Sabadell, near Barcelona, during heavy rain and gales. A man with her was also injured, though not seriously.
Marbella remains one of the worst-hit areas on the Costa del Sol, with roads turned into rivers and parts of the town submerged under knee-deep water. A red alert advising people to stay indoors was sent via mobile phone alerts to users in Marbella and nearly 30 other municipalities. By last night, parts of Valencia were also placed on red alert following torrential rain and hail, leading to the evacuation of 50 homes in La Pobla Llarga due to the imminent risk of flooding.