Calls to postpone presidential election as Storm Leonardo lashes Portugal and Spain

"Heavy rains and strong winds continued to batter parts of Spain and Portugal on Friday, causing at least one death, forcing the evacuation of more than 7,000 people and prompting calls to postpone the second-round of Portugal's presidential election. Storm Leonardo, which has lashed the Iberian peninsula this week, has led the Portuguese government to extend the current state of calamity in 69 municipalities until the middle of February."

"The storm has killed one man in Portugal, while a young girl is missing in the southern Spanish region of Andalucia. It is the latest in a series of deadly storms to have hit Portugal and Spain in recent weeks, killing several people. Authorities in Andalucia, where more than 7,000 people have been forced to leave their homes, evacuated residential areas near the Guadalquivir River in Cordoba overnight because the dramatic rise in water levels."

"About 1,500 residents have been ordered to leave their homes in Grazalema, a mountain village popular with hikers, as water seeped through the walls of houses and cascaded along steep cobbled streets. Andalucia's regional president, Juan Manuel Moreno, told Cadena Ser radio that aquifers in the Grazalema mountains were full and could provoke landslides owing to pent-up pressure. This could cause large holes or ditches. If this happens under a house or street, the result could be dramatic, Moreno said."

"Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, was due to visit the hardest-hit areas of Andalucia later on Friday. A man looks at the Alqueva dam discharging water in Moura, in Portugal's Alentejo region. Photograph: Patricia de Melo Moreira/AFP/Getty Images The heavy rains are also affecting the olive harvest. Francisco Elvira, who leads the Coag farmers' association in Jaen province, put losses so far at 200m (174m)."

Heavy rains and strong winds from Storm Leonardo battered Spain and Portugal, causing at least one death in Portugal and a missing girl in Andalucia. More than 7,000 people were evacuated, and Portugal extended a state of calamity in 69 municipalities until mid-February. Authorities evacuated areas near the Guadalquivir River in Cordoba and ordered about 1,500 residents to leave homes in Grazalema as water seeped through walls and cascaded down streets. Officials warned full aquifers could trigger landslides and create holes under houses or streets. The heavy rains also damaged the olive harvest, with losses put at 200m (174m).

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