World News for Students of English

08-09-2023 07:00

Severe rainfall hit Madrid, Spain, causing extensive flooding in the metro system and resulting in two fatalities, with two more individuals missing elsewhere in Spain.

Shocking videos of water inundating the metro circulated on social media, showing water surging into moving carriages, leaving passengers in shock. Firefighters in Aldea del Fresno rescued a 10-year-old boy who was initially reported missing, while another man was found missing in the Villamanta area, west of Madrid, after being swept away by water and mud.

The floods led to the collapse of several bridges and the closure of roads, subway lines, and train connections across Spain. Madrid’s mayor urged residents to stay home as the city faced torrential rain, with the weather agency issuing a maximum red alert for extreme danger in multiple regions. Up to 120 liters per square meter of rain were predicted to fall in Madrid, surpassing the previous record set in 1972.

Difficult words: fatality (a death caused by an accident or by violence), inundate (to overwhelm), surge (to move suddenly and powerfully forward or upward).

You can watch the video news lower on this page.