One dead in floods in Portugal’s Algarve

An elderly man has died in floods triggered by torrential rains in southern Portugal’s popular Algarve tourist region, police said Monday, with a mudslide causing serious damage to one seaside town.

The body of the 79-year-old was found on Monday morning around 100 metres (yards) from his vehicle on a flooded road near the town of Loule.

A number of cafes and restaurants in Albufeira were wiped out when a mudslide ran through the town’s historic centre, and firefighters had to evacuate some locals to escape the rapidly rising waters.

Waves up to five metres high hit parts of Portugal’s southern and western coasts on Sunday, whipped by winds of up to 80 kilometres an hour (50 mph).