LISBON, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- An elderly couple in their 80s were discovered dead Thursday morning inside their flooded home in Fernao Ferro, approximately 30 kilometers south of Lisbon, in the district of Setubal, after severe rainfall brought by the depression Claudia, confirmed the National Republican Guard.
When authorities arrived, they forced entry by breaking doors and windows to access the house, where both bodies were found floating. The home was completely inundated, according to the same source.
The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) on Thursday raised its alert to red -- the most severe of its three warning levels -- due to heavy and persistent rain in Setubal district.
Claudia has been affecting Portugal since Wednesday with torrential rain, strong winds, and rough seas, according to the IPMA.
The National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection (ANEPC) had recorded, as of 11:00 a.m. local time on Thursday, two fatalities, five people displaced from flooded homes, and 918 registered incidents, while around 13,000 residents remained without electricity. ■
