Spain Flood partially washes away ancient Roman bridge
High water caused by heavy rainfall has led to severe flooding in parts of Spain. In the town of Talavera de la Reina in the center of Spain, an ancient Roman bridge was partially washed away on Sunday night.
23.03.2025, 16:42
SDA
Spain has been struggling with storms for weeks. Ten of the 19 Spanish regions were on yellow and orange alert on Sunday due to heavy rain, wind and strong waves.
In Talavera, there was great dismay at the partial destruction of the historic bridge. "This is a terrible day in the history of Talavera", said the city's mayor, José Julián Gregorio, on the online service X on Sunday. The bridge over the River Tagus was built in the 15th century on a structure dating back to the time of Ancient Rome.
Photographs show that several bridge arches collapsed. Talavera is located around 120 kilometers southwest of the Spanish capital Madrid.
The storm "Martinho", which swept across Spain at the weekend, was the fourth in three weeks. A man and a woman died in the last storm, "Laurence". According to the authorities in the province of Seville, the couple's car was swept away by masses of water and was discovered empty on Tuesday morning.
In many places, Spanish cities are threatened with flooding as a result of the rainfall and the simultaneous melting of the snow. In addition, several water reservoirs had to release water due to the risk of flooding.
The Spanish city of Avila, famous for its fortifications, was partially under water at the weekend. According to the mayor Jesús Manuel Sánchez Cabrera, a state of alert and emergency was declared in the city, which is located around one hundred kilometers from the capital Madrid. Televised images showed that several districts and agricultural areas around the city were flooded.
The flooding was caused by the Adaja River bursting its banks. The authorities feared that the melting snow in the surrounding mountains would exacerbate the flooding. A "large amount of snow has accumulated" on the peaks, the mayor warned.
