MADRID (AP) – Four people died after falling into the sea in three accidents on Spain’s Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, emergency services said Thursday.
The deaths came amid warnings for strong winds and widespread rain in many parts of the country, and high surf warnings for Portugal’s southwestern coast.
Spanish police said a Moroccan minor and an adult German national were killed on the Mediterranean coast near the eastern city of Tarragona. The German man went into the water to try to save the Moroccan youth, and both died, according to the Civil Guard.
A man and a woman died after falling into the Atlantic Ocean off Spain’s north coast, Asturias state emergency services said. Spain’s EFE news agency quoted local authorities as saying the man was a British national.
Rescuers recovered bodies in two separate incidents about 10 kilometers (6 miles) apart along the coast west of the northern city of Gijon, emergency services said.
Emergency services received a report of a person falling into the water and pulled the man’s body from the water, but there were no signs of life. Officials said the woman’s body, possibly Spanish, was recovered after falling into the sea and being thrown onto rocks by waves.
Spain’s National Weather Service issued a warning for strong winds in several areas of the peninsula on Thursday. That included the coast of Asturias, where waves up to 7 meters (23 feet) were predicted.
Spain’s Atlantic coast region has not been affected by the drought that is affecting the northeast and southern regions, including Tarragona.
Easter week processions scheduled for Thursday were canceled in some cities due to rain.
The Portuguese Oceanic and Atmospheric Institute has issued a high wave warning for coastal areas of the Iberian Peninsula. Northwest waves of 4 to 5 meters (13 to 16.4 feet) and southwest waves of 3 to 4 meters (9.8 to 13 feet) are expected on the west coast from Friday to early Saturday.
