Floods in Spain: British couple found dead in car days after devastating floods that have killed over 200 people

The elderly couple was discovered in a sparsely-populated area where they lived near Pedralba, a small town a 45-minute drive north-west of badly flood-hit Valencia. Mayor Andoni Leon confirmed the tragic news on Sunday (3 November), saying volunteer locals had found the bodies of the elderly couple.

The mayor said they also recovered the remains of a Spanish man themselves following a town hall-led attempt to locate those unaccounted for after the floods which began on Tuesday (29 October). Don Turner, 78, and his wife, Terry, 74, had not been seen since heavy downpours struck Valencia on Tuesday.

The couple's daughter, Ruth O'Loughlin, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, confirmed her parents' bodies were found in their car on Saturday (2 November). The couple were both retired and lived in a bungalow with their dogs.

The number of British nationals who have died in the flooding now stands at three, with the total death toll standing at 213. Last week it was revealed a British 71-year-old had 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 (30 October) 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 Spaniard who died has been name locally as 44-year-old Francisco Quesada. His neighbour Ruth Rodriguez found him after searching for him with family and friends.

Scuba teams have been deployed to the submerged Bonaire Shopping Centre, near Valencia, over the weekend, with pictures showing the entrance completely blocked by deep, mud-brown waters. The divers have discovered hundreds of unsearched vehicles that they fear could harbour dead bodies.