Locals in Spain were left puzzled after a village that had been submerged for three decades came to the surface after a drought. 

Known as Acerdo, the village had been immersed since 1992 after being deliberately flooded to construct the Alto Lindoso reservoir, according to a report by Reuters.

After coming back to the surface due to a recent drought, the deteriorated village has attracted tourists to the area. 

The ruined establishment emerged after a dry weather spell in the area, with the water level in the dam falling to 15% of its capacity. 

“It’s terrible, but it is what it is. That’s life. Some die and others live,” former construction worker Jose Alvarez told Reuters.  

Locals found ruins of collapsed roofs, bricks, empty beer bottles, and debris in the ghost village. Crates of empty beer bottles are said to belong to what used to be a local cafe in the village. A dilapidated car was also spotted near a stone wall. The eerie remains also consist of a rusty drinking fountain pipe still streaming water. 

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 “The whole place used to be all vineyards, orange trees. It was all green. It was beautiful,” said a local 72-year-old.  

Since its emergence, pictures and videos of the village have gone viral on the internet. 

According to reports, the area has experienced quite a few droughts in the past although none have been extreme enough to bring a submerged village to the surface. 

As of now, only 10%  of the country has been officially declared under prolonged drought.

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In the past years, several villages in Spain have reported the misuse of reservoirs by power utilities, according to Reuters. 

Data from Spain‘s Environment Ministry states that the country’s reservoirs are at 44% of their capacity, far below the average of 61%. A source of Reuters has said that the severity of droughts could worsen in the weeks ahead.