The Atlantic Ocean appears to have claimed several cars after flood waters washed them away
© Lily AshThe Atlantic Ocean appears to have claimed several cars after flood waters washed them away
Floods swept cars down ravines and into the sea after heavy rain hit nearby hills in Spain's Canary Islands.

Passersby yanked one woman from car as it was starting to be dragged away by fast, muddy water overflowing from a stream on Gran Canaria.

Moments before, another vehicle had been battered against the banks and bridge as it was washed away on Monday.

The hardest hit region was Telde, in the east of the island, where the local authority has closed the beach and warned against travel.

Cars have been spotted floating in the sea off the coast. Remarkably, no injuries have been reported.





Although rain had stopped by last night, damage from the flooding means some danger remains. More rain is predicted for much of the week.

On Tuesday morning, the local council warned: 'Please be careful and avoid travelling and transiting along ravines. Heavy rains may occur in Telde during the morning.'

Many of the roads in the area, home to more than 100,000 people, remain cloaked in mud, leaving locals to wield brooms and shovels to clear the debris.

The mayor, Juan Antonio Peña said: 'These are not easy times for the city of Telde. I only ask for maximum caution.

'Let's stay at home. Many roads are flooded or muddy. River beds overflow, vehicles swept away by the currents. Let's be cautious, please.'

Rain alerts remain in place across the Canary Islands, including Gran Canaria and the smaller Lanzarote, where 15mm of rain per hour are expected.

Warnings have also been issued in the mainland regions of València and Alicante, where 100mm of rain is predicted in a 12-hour period, according to national weather forecaster Aemet. These are in place until Thursday.

Floods killed 224 people in València last October and November - half of them aged over 70.

Entire car parks were submerged, the contents of homes had been washed away, and roads were barricaded by walls of vehicles and debris dumped by the flood waters. Some of them still had bodies inside.

One woman was trapped in a car with her dead sister-in-law for days before she was rescued.