Missing British couple found dead after going missing in Spain flooding
A missing British couple have been found dead days after the devastating Spanish floods which have killed more than 200 people.
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 east coast city of Valencia.
Mayor Andoni Leon confirmed the news yesterday, saying volunteer locals had found their bodies. He said the town hall had led attempts to try to find people who were still missing following the floods on Tuesday as no outside help had yet arrived.
The number of British nationals killed in the floods now stands at three.
Last week, a British 71-year-old man died in hospital after being rescued by boat from his flooded home on the outskirts of Alhaurin de la Torre near Malaga.
Regional president Juanma Moreno confirmed his nationality as he visited one of the areas near Malaga worst affected by flooding there.
The unnamed Brit was rescued last Tuesday by firefighters after his partner alerted the authorities because he was having an apparent heart attack and suffering from hypothermia.
He was taken initially to nearby Guadalhorce Hospital and stabilised before being transferred to a hospital in Malaga where he died in the early hours of Wednesday morning after suffering multiple organ failure.
The bodies of the British couple are understood to have been found in what was left of their home.
The grim discovery was made on Saturday but their nationalities were not confirmed by the local mayor until yesterday.
The Spaniard who died has been named locally as 44-year-old Francisco Quesada. His neighbour Ruth Rodriguez, who found him after searching for him with family and friends, said she had started looking after he disappeared shortly after sending her videos of the flooded River Turia near his home.
She told local press: ‘No-one from any of the security forces found him, it was us removing mud and debris.”
Pedralba mayor Mr Leon added: ‘We haven’t received any help. Thanks to all the volunteers that are arriving we are becoming almost auto-sufficient.”
The first members of Military Emergencies Unit UME, a branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, reached the municipality of around 3,000 inhabitants yesterday afternoon shortly after he voiced his concerns.
He said the town was still without drinking water and ‘one or two more people were still missing.’
It comes after footage shows angry survivors of the floods hurling mud and shouting insults at King Felipe VI when he visited some of the affected towns.
Residents have criticised the government for the lack of swift action, calling the relief efforts ‘slow.’
A convoy of around 1,000 civilians was seen leaving Valencia city to reach the villages and towns surrounding it on Saturday, carrying essential items and equipment to help with the clean-up efforts as some communities continue to be cut off.
The death toll is expected to rise as search of swept away cars and car parks continues, authorities warned.
Firefighters feared discovering a mass grave after pictures emerged showing an underground shopping centre car park.
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