Large parts of east and south under alerts as schools are shut and riverside neighbourhoods evacuated in Andalucía

Authorities in eastern and southern Spain have closed schools and begun evacuating some residents as the country is pounded by further torrential rains two weeks after the catastrophic floods that killed at least 215 people and unleashed a bitter political blame game.

By Wednesday morning, the state meteorological agency, Aemet, had put large parts of eastern and southern Spain on amber alert and issued the highest level of warning for the provinces of Tarragona in Catalonia and Málaga in Andalucía.