Roads flooded on the Costa del Sol: Spain issues 'red weather alert'

A flood-hit Spain has issued a rare 'red weather alert' after the popular British holiday hotspot was left battered by a violent storm.

Torrential rain hit Spain's Costa del Sol with dramatic footage capturing flooded roads, fallen trees and destroyed vehicles as the region braces for more bad weather.

Spain's national weather bureau issued an unprecedented emergency response overnight after floodwaters reached worrying levels.

Red weather alerts for 'extreme danger' were issued across 27 municipalities in the Malaga region. Emergency services received hundreds of reports.

The Sol and Guadalhorce are among the hardest hit areas, and authorities are urging locals and tourists to not leave their house.

Images and video clips taken from the area showed roads turned into rivers as large, floating mounds of debris-filled mud swept away cars and trees.

Vehicles can also be seen bobbing through the murky waters as the strong currents swirl around them, leaving tourists and locals trapped in their buildings.

Authorities said floodwaters at some places were 'several meters in height'.

The rainfall began to fall in the western areas shortly after midday on Saturday and also swept across Malaga province from west to east, dropping significant amounts of rainfall and leaving a trail of incidents such as flooded streets,  houses and garages.

The torrential downpours also caused a part of the bridge over the Los Caballos river in Tolox to collapse and a pine tree to fall in the area known as the 'white curve, which connects Casarabonela with El Burgo, forcing the road to be closed.

During the night the attention was focused on Cártama, where the A-7057 road linking Maqueda with Estación de Cártama was cut off due to the water levels.

There was concern about flooding due to the the high water level of the Guadalhorce river as it passes through the town.

The adverse weather also affected air traffic, as more than 20 flights bound for Malaga Airport were diverted to other cities. 

Most of them were sent to the airports of Seville, Almeria and Granada, although two were diverted to Alicante and one to Madrid. 

Locals and tourists have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel and to seek higher ground if in a flood-prone area.

Up to 120 litres of water per square metre could accumulate in just 12 hours because of torrential rain, according to the agency.

The country’s State Meteorological Agency has also issued an orange alert for rain in the regions of Ronda, Antequera and Axarquía.

Orange warnings are now in effect along the Granada coast and the Almería regions of Valle del Almanzora and Los Vélez.

Yellow warnings remain in place for the coast, Andévalo and Condado de Huelva, the entire province of Cádiz, and the Antequera area in Málaga, where a coastal alert is also in place.

The weather disturbance comes weeks after Storm Alice caused devastating flash flooding in Spain, while the country is still reeling from deadly floods which killed 220 people. 

Elsewhere in Europe, footage shows Mount Etna on the east coast of Sicily has erupted, sending huge clouds of ash into the air.

The activity at Etna began on Boxing Day, as Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology confirmed the eruptive phase.