Flooding sparked by heavy rains killed at least seven people in southern and south-eastern Spain as hundreds of other people in Andalusia and Murcia were evacuated, media reports said late Friday, dpa reported.
A 9-year-old girl was among the victims, four of whom died in Andalusia and three of whom perished in Murcia.
Up to 200 litres of rain fell per square metre in Cadiz, the Madrid newspaper El Pais reported. Dailies also said 177 litres fell per square metre in one part of Murcia while 120 litres was measured in the same area in Almeria province.
Communities were swamped with floodwaters, disrupting road and rail traffic. Roads were heavily damaged; two highway bridges collapsed and cars were seen floating in the floodwaters.
Emergency workers used rubber boats to rescue flood victims, and hundreds of soldiers were deployed to help.
In Archidona, residents were rescued from rooftops by helicopters.
Some villages were cut off from the outside world by the floodwaters, said Elias Rendodo, president of Malaga's provincial government.
Some communities saw floodwaters up to 4 metres above normal river levels, he said.