Eyewitness footage captured the bold rescue of a woman trapped in her car as raging floodwaters threatened to sweep it downstream in Spain’s Gran Canaria on Monday (March 3). Ramon Vera, the man who raced to help her, recalled to Reuters the next day his shock at seeing cars being washed away.

Huge floods have hit one of Spain's top holiday islands, with authorities warning tourists to stay indoors as cars are swept out to sea.

Copyright 2025 BBC. All rights reserved.  The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.

As the FCDO has not advised against travelling to Gran Canaria, you won’t automatically be eligible for a no-penalty refund. Instead, it’s best to contact your travel provider directly to see what can be done about cancelling or rescheduling your trip if you no longer want to travel.

Published images show cars washed away by the floods in Gran Canaria, with its streets become raging rivers as water levels rise. Piles of mud and dirt have covered the streets as torrential rain battered the popular holiday island. The entire island of Lanzarote - the easternmost island of the archipelago - is also under a weather warning.

During a period of heavy rain, the Canary Islands Government also advised to avoid driving and, if absolutely necessary, take extreme precautions, maintain a safe distance between vehicles, moderate speed and drive preferably on main roads or motorways, avoiding forest tracks or secondary roads.

Severe flooding hit parts of the Canary Islands. Video filmed on Monday (March 3) shows a car being washed out to sea in Salinetas, Gran Canaria.