WATCH: Spectacular rescue of submerged driver by Generalitat firefighters in Mataro

Generalitat firefighters in the Barcelona municipality of Mataro carried out a spectacular rescue to free a driver from his submerged vehicle.

A spectacular rescue operation was conducted this Friday, September 16, by firefighters from the Generalitat. They managed to free a driver from his vehicle which had been submerged in the sudden deluge of floodwater that accumulated in the Pas del Cargol underpass of the N-II in the Barcelona municipality of Mataro.

According to a tweet from Bombers de la Generalitat, the brigade received an emergency call at 7:52pm requesting assistance in the said underpass. On arrival, they discovered a car almost fully submerged with the driver refusing to leave the car.

A joint operation involving an off-duty firefighter, police officers, and firefighters, helped the submerged occupant out of the car window, tied by one hand, while the car was already sinking.

They eventually freed the trapped driver, who was subsequently transferred to Mataro Hospital in serious condition. He has since been declared to be out of danger and remains in a stable condition in the hospital’s ICU.

https://twitter.com/Mario_Moray/status/1571144088585637895?s=20&t=H6mzifIS381LTSRsgT-RFw

#GRAESub i #GROS #Bomberscat han revisat el Pas del Cargol, el vial sota la N-II on aquesta tarda s'han quedat encallats diversos cotxes a causa de la pluja, i ha calgut rescatar-hi una persona. Es confirma que no hi ha més persones en perill, ni dins el cotxes ni sota l'aigua

— Bombers (@bomberscat) September 16, 2022

#GRAESub #Bomberscat fent revisió del pas del Cargol, a Mataró. Allà, s'hi ha rescatat un home de dins del seu cotxe, que es resistia a abandonar. Un bomber fora de servei, efectius policials i bombers l'han tret lligat d'una mà, per la finestreta, quan el cotxe ja s'enfonsava pic.twitter.com/td1uylF9ZB

— Bombers (@bomberscat) September 16, 2022

Sources from the fire department consulted by 20minutos.es detailed that at least three vehicles were stranded in the same underpass. At the time of enquiring, two of them had been checked, without finding any occupants inside.

Between 8pm and 9:30pm last Friday, firefighters reportedly received 23 warnings from the Regio Metropolitana Nord and 15 from the Regio de Girona related to storms.

Since the beginning of the downpour, which started at around 7pm, the Northern Metropolitan Region received 65 warnings. These were especially from Maresme in Barcelona, and another 28 from the La Selva region of Girona.