The tragic loss of two elderly individuals, a couple in their 80s, occurred inside their residence in Fernão Ferro due to severe flooding caused by heavy rainfall, as confirmed by the Seixal Municipal Civil Protection.
The Sub-regional Emergency and Civil Protection Command for the Setúbal Peninsula reported that, beyond the submerged residence where the couple perished, adverse weather conditions have led to numerous other homes and road networks flooding and structural collapses, particularly from 5:00 a.m. onward.
Additionally, sources indicated that several vehicles became stranded due to flooding on National Road (EN) 378, between Seixal and Sesimbra, while railway services were also disrupted starting at 8:00 a.m. on the stretch between Pinhal Novo and Penalva.
According to Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), rail traffic on the Alentejo Line, connecting Barreiro and Beja, was hindered from 9:20 a.m. between the Poceirão and Pinhal Novo stations, both in the municipality of Palmela, due to the collapse of part of the track, confining train movement to a single line.
The inclement weather also led to road flooding and immobilized dozens of vehicles in the municipalities of Montijo and Seixal, causing classroom activities to be suspended in various educational institutions in the municipalities of Moita and Montijo, as reported by the two municipalities.
By late morning in Setúbal municipality, the Fire Brigade had recorded 64 incidents, mainly flooding in homes and roads, particularly in the Azeitão area.
The district of Setúbal witnessed power outages similar to those in Lisbon and Santarém, with E-REDES stating that around 16,000 electricity customers were without service at 8:30 a.m.
The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) has issued weather warnings for the districts of Viseu, Évora, Porto, Guarda, Faro, Viana do Castelo, Lisbon, Setúbal, Leiria, Beja, Castelo Branco, Aveiro, Coimbra, Portalegre, and Braga due to heavy and persistent rain through Saturday.
The adverse weather impacting mainland Portugal and the Madeira archipelago is attributed to the depression named Cláudia, bringing strong winds, rain, and maritime disturbances.
The National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection recorded 1,874 incidents due to the bad weather across mainland Portugal up to 5:00 p.m. today, resulting in two fatalities, one minor injury, and four displaced individuals.
