Melting snow and heavy rain in northern Spain has caused river levels to rise in particular the Ebro on its way through the region of Navarra, leaving unprecedented floods which are now seeping into neighbouring Aragón.
Already, towns and cities are sitting over two feet deep in water and 20,000 hectares of land has been affected by the Ebro bursting its banks in Navarra alone.
Castejón and Tudela, close to the border with Aragón, are under water and the first town on the other side of the regional frontier, Novillas, in the province of Zaragoza is now flooded.
The Ebro in this area has risen to seven metres in depth and has flooded 1,500 hectares of land, leaving at least 20 houses waterlogged, according to mayor of Novillas, José Ayesa, who says the town is 'living on a knife-edge'.
This part of the river is rising at a rate of between 2,000 and 2,200 cubic metres a second, and the situation is likely to continue for at least another 48 hours.
Zaragoza city hall sources say if the floods reach the metropolitan area, authorities should be able to cope as they are used to situations of this nature.
The regional government of Aragón says the main threat so far is to the town of Boquiñeni, where the military has fitted flood barriers and which are, at present, holding out.
A nursing home in the rural Monzalbarba district of the city and the urbanisation Torre Urzáiz in nearby Movera, also in the countryside surrounding Zaragoza have been evacuated as a precaution, but authorities do not expect anyone else will have to leave their homes.
Regional minister for the interior in Navarra, Javier Morrás says 'the worst is over', the Ebro is starting to go down in Castejón – having fallen from a depth of 7.8 metres to 7.38 metres – although their next task will be to examine the aftermath in the towns and villages of Fustiñana, Ribaforada and Cortes, near the border with Aragón.
The motorway between Navarra's regional capital city, Pamplona, which runs into Aragón has been closed as a precaution.
Several residents in Tudela, Navarra had to be evacuated from their homes by motorboat on Thursday when the water reached a metre (3'3”) in depth (pictured).
They were navigated to safety by the fire brigade and the Civil Protection squad.
Tudela has come off worst so far, as have fields in neighbouring villages Arguedas, Valtierra, Cabanillas, Cadreita and Milagro.
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