River Ebro floods spread to Catalunya, La Rioja and the Basque Country

FLOODS caused by the river Ebro bursting its banks have spread into the regions of Catalunya, La Rioja and the Basque Country just days after extending from Navarra into Aragón.

Zaragoza city is under water, including the Expo park, roads, shops and ground floor apartments, and farmers have lost up to €50 million in ruined crops whilst towns in Navarra resemble the canals of Venice.

Although water levels are said to be subsiding, the floods have crossed into the province of Álava in the Basque Country - of which the capital is Vitoria-Gasteiz - and into the province of Lleida in Catalunya.

The towns of Boquiñeni and Pradilla, in the province of Zaragoza, have been evacuated and it is said that most, if not all of the 1,600 inhabitants between them have been moved into makeshift camps in sports halls.

Hundreds of others have had to leave their homes in Fustiñana, Buñuel, Cabanillas and Tudela, in Navarra.

Motorways across Navarra and Aragón have been shut for days, including a main highway leading to France.

Some 20,000 pigs, sheep and cows on flooded farms have had to be rehoused.

Minister of agriculture Isabel García Tejerina has visited the stricken areas, and says the Council of Ministers has approved funding of between €3.6m and €4m each for the regions of Aragón, Navarra and La Rioja.

Opposition socialist leader Pedro Sánchez swore colourfully about Spain's president Mariano Rajoy for not having visited the flood-damaged areas in person, although Rajoy's office says his diary has been full until now and he is due to head north tomorrow (Friday) before setting off on an official visit to Guatemala.