Moment Storm Gloria Hits Spain Leaving Two Dead

Story By: Jonathan MaciasSub EditorJoseph GolderAgency: Central European News 

Video Credit: CEN/@jmmpereda

This timelapse video shows the arrival of storm Gloria in northern and eastern Spain over the weekend bringing heavy rain and snow, killing two and forcing the closure of Alicante airport.

There are reportedly 33 provinces affected by bad weather with nine of them on red alert: they are Teruel Albacete, Murcia, Barcelona, Tarragon, Girona, Valencia, Castellon and Alicante, according to local media.

Picture Credit: CEN/@jmmpereda

According to the State Meteorological Agency in Spain (AEMET), the storm will move towards the north-western part of Spain tomorrow (Tuesday) and the bad weather is expected to finish on Wednesday.

The video was recorded by a Twitter user in the city of Santander in the autonomous community of Cantabria in northern Spain and the footage shows a front of dark threatening clouds making their way onto the seashore of Santander.

A 44-year-old man who died had been putting on snow chains in order to travel along a snow-covered road in the autonomous community of Asturias in north-western Spain.

Video Credit: CEN/@EstacinVillena

Reports said the victim was run over by a van which lost control when it was crossing the San Isidro mountain pass.

And in a related incident, a 54-year-old homeless woman who rejected an offer of a place to stay in a shelter during the snowfall died of hypothermia while she was sleeping in a public park in the city of Gandia in the autonomous community of Valencia this morning (Monday).

The woman was found dead by her partner who was sleeping next to her and noticed she was not breathing.

Picture Credit: CEN/@EstacinVillena

Both the homeless woman and her partner had been offered beds in a shelter to stay in during the storm but they rejected the offer, according to local media.

Gloria has also hit the city of Villen also in the community of Valencia where a seven-hour snowfall has reportedly left 35,000 people isolated after all the roads to access the city were closed.

Reports claim the snow reached between five and 10 centimetres (1.9 and 3.10 inches) high and the snow can be seen in the second video.

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