Mother and daughter die in southern Catalonia after wall collapse during weekend flooding

A mother and daughter who were left injured after a wall collapsed during the torrential rains in southern Catalonia over the weekend have died.

Three people were left trapped under a wall in the Port of Roda de Berà after Saturday's intense storms. 

The two people who died had been in Joan XXIII University Hospital in Tarragona since Saturday.

"A piece of news that hits us deeply," Catalan president Salvador Illa lamented. "All my support in these painful moments."

At the time of the flood, the mother and daughter were sleeping alongside another family member inside one of the stalls at the market in the Roda de Berà marina.

The force of the water knocked down the wall that separated the street from a private property and fell on them.

A third person, the grandfather, was injured less seriously in the incident.

The situation of the two victims had generated confusion on Tuesday when the Roda de Berà town council initially reported that their life support had been withdrawn and they were presumed dead.

The council went so far as to decree two days of official mourning and had planned a minute of silence in memory of the mother and daughter before the festes majors on Tuesday evening, as well as dedicating the night's pyromusical display to them. Later, however, the Department of Health clarified that both were still alive.

The council justified the initial confusion saying that the mayor had spoken to the grandfather of the family, who had informed him that the decision had been made to withdraw their life support.

After learning the version of the health department, the council rectified and explained that both maintained vital signs and that they had not been disconnected.

In a subsequent statement, the council deeply regretted the confusion and apologized for the anguish and pain that the erroneous information generated.