Rescue workers have found the bodies of a British couple missing since the catastrophic floods in Spain which have so far claimed more than 200 lives.
The elderly pair were discovered in a sparsely populated area where they lived, near the small town of Pedralba, a 45-minute drive northwest of the eastern coastal city of Valencia.
Pedralba’s mayor, Andoni Leon, confirmed the tragic news yesterday, stating that local volunteers had located the bodies of the British couple and a Spanish man. This followed a town hall-led search for missing persons after Tuesday’s deadly floods, as external assistance had yet to arrive.
The death toll for British nationals in the flooding now stands at three.
Last week, it was reported that a 71-year-old British man had died in hospital after being rescued by boat from his flooded home on the outskirts of Alhaurín de la Torre, near Malaga.
The President of the Andalusian region, Juanma Moreno, confirmed the man’s nationality during a visit to one of the areas near Málaga that had been most severely impacted by the floods.
The unnamed Briton had been rescued last Tuesday by firefighters after his partner alerted authorities, as he appeared to be suffering from a heart attack and hypothermia. He was initially stabilised at Guadalhorce Hospital before being transferred to a hospital in Málaga, where he passed away in the early hours of Wednesday morning due to multiple organ failure.
The British couple’s bodies are believed to have been discovered within the remains of their home. Their identities were confirmed by the local mayor on Sunday, after the grim discovery on Saturday.
The Spanish man who died has been named locally as 44-year-old Francisco Quesada. His neighbour, Ruth Rodriguez, who found his body with the help of family and friends, said she had started searching for him after he disappeared shortly after sending her videos of the flooded River Turia near his home.
She told local media: “None of the security forces found him; it was us, clearing mud and debris.”
Mayor Leon added, “We’ve received no assistance. Thanks to all the volunteers arriving, we’re becoming almost self-sufficient.”
The first members of the Military Emergencies Unit (UME), a division of the Spanish Armed Forces, arrived in the municipality of roughly 3,000 people yesterday afternoon, shortly after the mayor voiced his concerns.
He reported that the town still lacked drinking water and that “one or two more people were still missing.”
