A family of three was relocated this Saturday as a precaution due to a landslide that occurred near their home, in the parish of Curral das Freiras, following bad weather that affected the south coast and mountainous areas of Madeira.
“The collapse did not cause any damage to the house and no injuries were reported,” Leonel Silva, president of the Camara de Lobos city council, told the Lusa news agency, explaining that the family of three adults had been relocated. to the family home as a precaution.
The mayor said the landslide, which occurred in the afternoon, blocked a road in the Fajão dos Cardos area as well as a river, which overflowed its banks as a result.
The parish of Curral das Freiras is located in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, which adjoins Funchal to the west.
The operation to clear and unblock the road was completed at around 18:30 after the mobilization of a team of volunteer firefighters from Câmara de Lobos and employees of a construction company in the parish of Curral das Freiras, which provided equipment for this purpose.
The southern coast of Madeira Island and mountainous areas were today under an orange warning, the second most severe on a scale of three, due to heavy rain between 06:00 and 18:00, with a yellow warning currently in effect for the region. in the same area until 21:00.
The weather caused several landslides, flooding and falling tree branches in several locations, but there were no reports of injuries or significant property damage.
Operations at Madeira International Airport also faced significant difficulties during the day.
According to information available on the ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal website, nine flights operated by several companies and arriving from different European cities were forced to be diverted to other airports or returned to their points of departure, and at least 12 more were canceled between arrival and departure .