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The road most affected by the flooding was the N 11 motorway at
Esparraguera between Lleida and Barcelona where a modern motorway bridge
(constructed only 10 years ago) collapsed at 06.00 hours on the morning of 10th
June 2000. Next to it, a bridge constructed a century before remained undamaged.
A car was crossing the bridge at the point of collapse, leading to the loss of
two lives and a further two policemen lost their lives in a rescue attempt.
The sheer force of the flowing water flooded the motorway close
to the bridge and road foundations were washed away.
In nearby Montserrat, 500 people had to rescued by helicopter
after the access road to the monastery was washed away. The force of the floods
in the mountain caused the collapse of one of the emblematic rock pedestals and
caused very serious damage to the hotel, tourist installations and museum
archives.
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