Spain evacuates thousands in fresh flood alarm

M laga: Spain evacuated thousands of residents and closed schools on Wednesday as torrential rains lashed the country two weeks after its worst floods...

Málaga: Spain evacuated thousands of residents and closed schools on Wednesday as torrential rains lashed the country two weeks after its worst floods in a generation killed more than 220 people.

National weather office AEMET placed the southern province of Malaga and the northeastern Catalonia region on red alert -- the highest level -- for strong rains expected to last until Friday.

It forecasts up to 180 millimetres of rain could fall there in just 12 hours, while less severe downpours struck the eastern Valencia region already devastated by the floods.

Emergency services in the southern Andalusia region said more than 1,000 homes and almost 3,000 residents had been evacuated in and around the city of Malaga.

Footage on social media showed Malaga's normally bustling commercial centre deserted and cars ploughing through rising water that had submerged roads.