Dozens of Britons were among 200 people evacuated from a beauty spot between Málaga and Gibraltar in Spain after a ‘strong earthquake’ sent people fleeing into the street.
Hundreds of people evacuated in Benojan, Spain (Image: Guardia Civil)
The Briton was among hundreds of people urgently evacuated from a Spanish holiday hotspot amid fears a dam in the mountains could burst.
200 people were immediately evacuated from the Estación de Benojan neighbourhood, between Málaga and Gibraltar. Emergency services ordered a complete evacuation of the town nestled among the mountains at around 4 pm on Friday.
Terrified residents reported the ground was “shaking” as water gushed from limestone caves beneath their homes. This fateful mission was initiated because of fears over the Montjac Dam in the mountains above the city, which has been dormant and dry for almost a century.
Montejac Dam is now closed (Image: Getty Images)
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The dam was built in the 1920s but later broke because it could not hold water and leaked into caves beneath the city – the structure was built on porous rock. This old and neglected dam has become an issue again this week after heavy rains from Hurricane Leonardo left the surrounding area drenched.
This indicates that the rainwater and the dam filled the underground caves for the first time, which was significant for the olive press. According to this, a “strong earthquake” occurred around 7 pm on Friday, causing people to come out on the streets in fear. sure in English.
Dozens of Britons were evacuated, along with other tourists and locals, as a hotel popular with UK visitors – the Molino del Santo – is located just a few meters from the river. Francisco Parra, a local, said, “Civil protection officials came and told us we had to leave our houses because the hill was giving way.”
The mayor of Benauzon said the emergency mission was due “to the weather conditions and the danger of the Montjac dam overflowing.”. Emergency services later went door-to-door in the area and rescued people before about 200 locals and visitors were evacuated to the village high in the mountains.
Reports suggest that geologists may have caused the terrifying “shocks” by forcing air and liquid through underwater caves.
Despite this, government representative Javier Salas, who travelled to the affected area, said there was no imminent danger and the area would not suffer flooding.
Hurricane Leonardo caused flooding and freezing cold across the region, leading to the evacuation of millions of people in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
Portugal’s government declared a state of emergency and referred to the extreme weather as a “catastrophic crisis”. The worst is yet to come, as Typhoon Marta is set to make landfall on Saturday and bring more misery to the region.
