Two dead due to torrential Spain rains

MADRID:

Two people have died and one is missing near Barcelona due to torrential rains in the northeastern Spanish province,

authorities said on Sunday, warning that the extreme weather was moving north to the neighbouring province of Girona.

They warned of flooding in Girona -- between Barcelona and the border with southwestern France -- urging residents to stay at home in areas

around the Ridaura and Daro rivers, which had burst their banks.

Persistent downpours and storms this weekend have battered eastern Spain and parts of the central region of Castilla-La Mancha, where a 102-year-old woman died as a result on Saturday.

The Spanish Meteorological Office (AEMET) said the storms had begun to ease in the Barcelona region around midday on Sunday but were moving northwards.