Thick layers of hail piled up on pavements and roads in the town
© Caravaca de la Cruz City CouncilThick layers of hail piled up on pavements and roads in the town
A heavy hailstorm has swept through areas of the southeast of Spain, forcing the evacuation of residents and blocking roads.

In one of the worst hit towns, Caravaca de la Cruz, emergency services dealt with 82 incidents connected to hailstones, landslides and road blockages on Thursday, local authorities said.

Thick layers of hail piled up on pavements and roads in the town in the Murcia region, and reached depths of 20cm in some places.

Footage shared online showed residents wading through icy streets and clearing mounds of hail from their doorsteps just to get inside their homes.

In the town's centre, two houses were evacuated due to the risk of collapse, with residents temporarily relocated to municipal facilities, the council said in a statement.


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