Driver swept away by floodwaters in Spain

STORY: The footage showed the driver in a red car attempting to cross an inundated road in Molina de Segura before the car is quickly carried away by rushing waters.

Torrential rains on Thursday (May 25) that followed a prolonged drought turned streets into rivers in towns along Spain's Mediterranean coast.

Heavy rainfall also hit central Spain and in and around the capital Madrid.

Earlier in the week, Spanish authorities shut down schools, universities and day-care centres as a precaution after rains left behind flooded basements and submerged cars.

While the rain has caused chaos and economic damage, they have also been welcomed by many in Spain, which had been on track to register the driest spring since records began in 1961, according to state weather agency AEMET.