Portugal Deadly Floods Force Evacuations, Collapse Main Highway

Thousands of people fled their homes in central Portugal after rising waters burst through the banks of the Mondego River, flooding roads, collapsing critical infrastructure and leaving vast areas of farmland under water.

At least 3,000 people were evacuated in the Coimbra area alone after heavy rainfall caused a levee to rupture, triggering significant flooding in the city and surrounding towns, according to civil-protection authorities. Part of the country’s main north–south highway, known as A1, also collapsed near Coimbra, said concession operator Brisa Auto-Estradas de Portugal SA.

Hundreds more have been displaced nationwide since the storms began at the end of January. At least 16 people have died since the storms began, as successive weather systems pushed several of Portugal’s main rivers to critical levels. The Douro, which runs through Porto in the north, burst its banks in numerous places, flooding riverside towns, while the Tejo rose to its highest level since 1997. The Sado reached levels not seen since 1989.

The crisis has intensified scrutiny of Prime Minister Luís Montenegro’s government, with opposition parties and local officials criticizing what they describe as shortcomings in preparedness and response. Political pressure escalated further after Interior Minister Maria Lúcia Amaral resigned late Tuesday amid mounting criticism of the government’s handling of the winter storms.

Read more: Portugal Rolls Out €2.5 Billion Aid as Deadly Flooding Spreads
Parliament’s biweekly debate, originally scheduled for Wednesday, was postponed to Friday as the political fallout deepened. Montenegro also scrapped a planned trip to Brussels and is due to join the government’s weekly cabinet meeting later Thursday as emergency operations continue.

Photograph: Flooded farmland after Storm Leonardo in Alcacer do Sal, Portugal, on Feb. 5, 2026. Photo credit: Adri Salido/Getty Images Europe

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