Woman dies in Barcelona after roof collapse during Catalonia windstorm

A 46‑year‑old woman has died in Barcelona after part of the roof of an industrial building collapsed on top of her during the violent windstorm that battered Catalonia this week. She had been admitted in critical condition to Vall d’Hebron Hospital and passed away in the early hours of Friday, becoming the first fatality linked to the episode.

Deadly accident in an industrial building

The incident occurred on Thursday, when powerful gusts of wind ripped part of the roof from an industrial premises in Barcelona. Debris from the structure fell onto the woman, causing severe injuries. Emergency services stabilised her at the scene and transferred her in a critical state to Vall d’Hebron, where doctors were unable to save her life.

The accident is one of several serious incidents caused by falling roofs, walls, trees and other objects loosened by the storm across the metropolitan area. Authorities are investigating the circumstances of the collapse and whether the structure met safety requirements before the winds hit.

Schools closed and non‑urgent healthcare suspended

The regional government activated maximum alert as the storm intensified and ordered the suspension of classes in many schools, as well as the cancellation of non‑urgent healthcare activity. Outpatient consultations and programmed procedures were postponed in hospitals and health centres to reduce movements and prevent people from having to travel in the worst of the weather.

All outdoor sports and leisure events were also called off. Municipalities closed parks and public spaces where falling branches or objects posed a risk, and local authorities asked residents to stay indoors as much as possible until the strongest gusts had passed.

Transport chaos: trains, flights and lorries affected

The wind caused major disruption to transport. In the Rodalies commuter rail network, multiple lines suffered delays and partial suspensions after branches, fences and other materials were blown onto the tracks. Technicians worked through the day to remove obstacles and restore normal service.

At Barcelona–El Prat airport, around one hundred flights were cancelled due to crosswinds and safety concerns during take‑off and landing. Other flights experienced significant delays and diversions. On the roads, heavy goods vehicles were temporarily restricted in key corridors such as La Jonquera, on the border with France, until early afternoon to avoid lorries overturning or causing chain accidents.

Record number of emergency calls and extreme gusts

The 112 emergency number registered more than 4,500 calls related to the storm, the highest figure ever recorded in Catalonia for a wind event. Those calls translated into thousands of incidents, from minor damage to serious accidents, and kept fire crews, police and medical services operating at full capacity throughout the day.

Weather stations recorded extreme gusts in several points of the region. In Puig Sesolles, in the Vallès Oriental area, winds reached up to 166 kilometres per hour. In the port of Barcelona, peak gusts of 105 kilometres per hour were measured, and even in dense urban neighbourhoods such as the Raval, speeds close to 90 kilometres per hour were registered.

Alert level reduced but call for caution remains

By Thursday afternoon, with forecasts pointing to a gradual easing of the winds, the Catalan government lowered the emergency status through an ES‑Alert message sent to mobile phones and stopped advising people to avoid travel altogether. Even so, the authorities have asked citizens to remain cautious while teams finish inspecting damaged structures and clearing affected areas.

The death of the woman in Barcelona underscores the potential consequences of extreme weather episodes and has led officials to renew calls for compliance with building safety standards and for residents to take warnings seriously whenever strong wind alerts are issued in Catalonia.