Hundreds of tourists evacuated as Malaga river burst its banks following latest 'Dana' storm

People staying at the Laguna Playa campsite to the west of Torre del Mar and Camping Almayat FKK in Almayate, as well as a number of houses at risk of flooding near the River Vélez on the eastern stretch of the Costa del Sol, were evacuated and taken to a nearby sports centre on Wednesday 13 November as the Río Vélez burst its banks.

Specifically, 660 people were evacuated from one campsite, while another 300 were evacuated from another and a further 110 people were evacuated from ‘Las Casillas del a Vía’, or 'chabolas' (shanty houses) at the western entrance to Torre del Mar on the old N340 coastal road.

Around 350 people spent the night at the Maestro Salvador Sánchez sports centre in the coastal town. Deputy mayor Jesús Atencia explained to SUR in English that the decision was taken when the rivers in the upper Axarquía began to burst their banks and the level of the River Vélez was also rising. “Thanks to the rapid intervention of the emergency services and the owners of campsite” the operation was carried out “in record time," he said.

“These are people who decided to spend time in Torre del Mar, Germans, Belgians, French, Swiss, Danish…and many of them are older so we have had ambulances and the Red Cross on standby in case anyone needed medical attention,” Atencia added.

Although in the end neither campsite was flooded, on Thursday morning the town hall and the owners were “evaluating the situation”. Atencia confirmed that La Laguna campsite in Torre del Mar was up and running again and that people were able to return.

The Almayat campsite he said was taking longer but that owners were “working hard” to allow people back in “as soon as possible”. He added, “During today we hope that the situation in the campsites will be solved”.

Jo and Helma from the Netherlands were told to leave the La Laguna campsite as the rescue operation began on Wednesday afternoon. They told SUR in English that they were able to drive their campervan to the area near the sports centre. They said that the organisation had been “excellent” and although they were able to sleep in the campervan along with their 13-year-old border collie, who they said “was very nervous” yesterday, but has been “calmer” today, they used the facilities and were given dinner and breakfast at the sports centre.

Patricia and Eugene from Ireland, who are staying at the Almayat campsite for two months had to leave their van and were taken to the sports centre by police vehicles. It’s the couple’s seventh year in the area and although they said they have seen “water flowing in the river” in the past, this is the first time they have witnessed flooding in the area.

They explained that the “police came with the sirens going” and they were told to evacuate. “We had to walk to the front of the campsite. One of the people on reception speaks several languages and they told us there was no negotiation. We had to leave,” they told SUR in English.

“We packed a bag with necessities, passports, meds and a little bit of clothing,” Patricia explained and added that once at the sports centre “everything was supplied, blankets, clothing – our clothes were wet – I am drying my clothes”.

They were given a “good hot chicken dinner" last night and "breakfast this morning”. The couple praised the work of the town hall, police and Red Cross and said that “it was very well organised. They put up tables for dinner, then took them down and set up the beds”.

The couple were unclear as to when they would be able to get back to the campsite and said there had been some confusion relating to the state of the one in Almayate. “People from other campsites have been told they can go back but there have been no announcements about ours yet,” they said.