A British couple who went missing after flash flooding hit their hometown outside Valencia have been confirmed dead.
Terry, 78, and Don Turner, 74, from Staffordshire, had not been seen since Tuesday, when heavy downpours flooded their hometown of Pedralba, a 45-minute drive northwest of the east coast city of Valencia.
The couple’s daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, confirmed to the BBC that her parents’ bodies were found in their car on Saturday. Local mayor Andoni Leon confirmed the news yesterday, saying volunteer locals had found their bodies.
The couple moved to Spain about 10 years ago. Daughter Ruth said they had “always wanted to live in the sunshine”.
More than 200 people have been killed as a result of the flooding. At least three Brits, including the couple, are among the dead.
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.
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.
Key points
- British couple confirmed dead in floods - report
- ‘Nobody did anything to avoid it’, King Felipe told by protestor
- Furious crowd shouts ‘murderer’ at King Felipe
- Fears of many dead in submerged underground car park
Spain deploys 7,500 troops to flood zone where anger rises at slow help
10:44
Tom Watling
Spain is deploying 7,500 troops to its eastern region hit by devastating floods, the government said on Monday in the face of rising discontent over the response to the catastrophe that has killed at least 217 people.
The army sent about 5,000 soldiers over the weekend to help distribute food and water, clean up streets and protect shops and properties from looters. A further 2,500 would join them, Defence Minister Margarita Robles told state-owned radio RNE.
A warship carrying 104 marine infantry soldiers as well as trucks with food and water was approaching Valencia port even as a strong hailstorm pummelled Barcelona some 300 km (186 miles) to the north.
Rescue teams on Monday were searching for bodies in underground garages including a 5,000-car park at Bonaire shopping mall near Valencia airport as well as river mouths where currents may have deposited bodies.
Fatalities from Spain's worst flash floods in modern history edged higher to 217 on Sunday - almost all of them in the Valencia region and more than 60 in the suburb of Paiporta.
Local residents' anger was focused on late alerts from authorities about the dangers of flooding and a perceived delayed response by emergency services.
UPD: ‘Cold drop’ and flood defences: What caused the devastating flash flooding in Spain?
10:29
Tom Watling
Brit couple killed in Spanish floods had ‘popped out’ for gas
10:15
Tom Watling
The British couple who were killed during the flash floods in Spain had “popped out” to get some gas before becoming trapped.
Terry, 78, and Don Turner, 74, from Staffordshire, had not been seen since Tuesday. Their bodies were discovered on Saturday and identified the following day.
In an interview with the BBC on Friday, the couple’s daughter Ruth O’Loughlin said her mother had told her friends they were “popping out” to get some gas - but they were not heard from afterwards.
The daughter added: “Friends had nipped up there because they hadn’t heard from mum and dad, the key was in the door, they could get into the property, the dogs were there and the car’s gone so they know that mum and dad haven’t gone back.”
Spain’s king vows to give ‘hope’ after angry residents throw mud on his visit to Valencia town
10:03
Tom Watling
Picture shows British couple, found dead in southern Spain
09:54
Tom Watling
In pictures: Emergency services continue the search for flood victims
09:46
Tom Watling
Video: Flash floods drag cars away in Spain as roads turn into rivers
09:37
Tom Watling
British couple confirmed dead in floods - report
09:12
Tom Watling
A British couple who went missing after flash flooding hit their hometown outside Valencia have been confirmed dead.
Terry and Don Turner, from Staffordshire, had not been seen since Tuesday, when heavy downpours flooded their hometown of Pedralba, a 45-minute drive northwest of the east coast city of Valencia.
The couple’s daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, confirmed to the BBC that her parents’ bodies were found in their car on Saturday. Their nationality has only just been confirmed.
More than 200 people have been killed as a result of the flooding. At least three Brits, including the couple, are among the dead.
Crashing waves in a hilltop village, a night of terror from Spain's floods
09:00
Tom Watling
Watch: Spain’s king dodges mud from angry crowd in flood-hit Valencia
08:30
Tom Watling
Is it safe to travel to Spain and should I cancel my holiday after flooding disaster?
08:00
Stuti Mishra
Eastern Spain has been hit with devastating flash flooding this week, the worst flooding disaster the area has experienced in decades.
Rainstorms started on Tuesday (29 October) and continued into Wednesday. In the aftermath of the floods, cars have been piled on the street surrounded by a sea of debris from damaged buildings and structures.
Here is the latest on the situation in Spain and what you need to know about travel.
Read the full article here:
How Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods led to over 200 deaths - explained through pictures
07:31
Athena Stavrou
At least 217 people are dead after Spain was struck by the worst floods in recent memory that submerged towns, toppled bridges and cut entire communities off from the outside world.
The deadly floods left cars piled up like toys in streets, swallowed homes, and covered entire neighbourhoods in sludge and debris. Muddy rivers swept away everything in their path – roads, houses and key infrastructure.
Thousands of people are still facing power and water cuts and shortages of basic goods, especially in the eastern region, the worst affected.
Here’s all we know about the devastating floods, the causes, and the scale of the impact:
Days after devastating floods, people still await drinking water
07:00
Stuti Mishra
Five days after devastating floods struck eastern Spain, many residents still lack access to basic necessities like drinking water, while internet and mobile phone coverage remain unreliable.
Power was only restored for most people on Saturday as thousands continued to clean up in the absence of electricity.
The burden of clearing the mud and wreckage has largely fallen on residents and volunteers, who continue to dig through the layers of devastation.
In Paiporta, a town of 30,000, city blocks are choked with debris, ruined cars, and layers of mud. Stores and supermarkets lie in ruins, and thousands have been left homeless, their homes ravaged by waves of sludge.
Anger is mounting among residents, who criticise the government’s response as too slow and poorly managed.
One flashpoint of frustration was the delayed emergency alert sent to mobile phones, which came two hours after the floods had already hit Paiporta.
"We have lost everything!" one resident shouted at the King yesterday.
10,000 troops and police officers to be drafted to deal with floods aftermath
06:14
Stuti Mishra
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has ordered 10,000 troops and police officers to be drafted to deal with the aftermath of the devastating Valencia floods.
The prime minister said it was his nation’s largest peacetime military deployment.Mr Sánchez said the government was mobilising all the resources at its disposal to deal with the “terrible tragedy”.
“There are still dozens of people looking for their loved ones and hundreds of households mourning the loss of a relative, a friend or a neighbour,” he said in a televised address on Saturday morning. “I want to express our deepest love to them and assure them that the government of Spain and the entire state, at all its different administrative levels, is with all of them.”
How Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods led to over 200 deaths - explained through pictures
05:00
Holly Evans
At least 217 people are dead after Spain was struck by the worst floods in recent memory that submerged towns, toppled bridges and cut entire communities off from the outside world.
The deadly floods left cars piled up like toys in streets, swallowed homes, and covered entire neighbourhoods in sludge and debris.
Muddy rivers swept away everything in their path – roads, houses and key infrastructure.
Read the full article here:
Expat teacher in Spain still trapped after flood waters surround town and food runs out
04:00
Holly Evans
An expat teacher living south of Valencia in Spain says he is unable to leave his town due to being “surrounded by water” following flash flooding in the region.
John Fahy, 55, who lives in a seaside town called Cullera, also reported there being no food in the supermarkets, with no new supplies expected for a while.
“We can’t leave our town because it’s flooded all around,” he said.
“There’s no-one in the shops in Cullera because there’s no food and there won’t be for a while.”
Read the full article here:
Watch: Rescuers wade through chest-high water as death toll exceeds 200
03:00
Holly Evans
Angry crowds throw mud and hurl insults at King of Spain as search continues for flood victims
02:00
Holly Evans
Handfuls of mud were thrown at the Spanish king and queen by hundreds of protesters in Valencia who chanted “murderers, murderers”, as the region continues to reel from deadly floods which have killed at least 217 people.
Anger and frustration has been mounting among residents over what has been widely perceived as delayed alerts from the authorities about the severity of Tuesday’s heavy rainfall, which triggered “tsunami-style” flooding.
“It was known and nobody did anything to avoid it,” a young man told the king, who insisted on staying to talk to people despite the turmoil, while the prime minister Pedro Sanchez had quickly withdrawn.
Read the full article here:
Has this happened before?
01:00
Holly Evans
Spain’s Mediterranean coast is used to autumn storms that can cause flooding, but this episode was the most powerful flash flood event in recent memory.
Older people in Paiporta, at the epicenter of the tragedy, say Tuesday’s floods were three times as bad as those in 1957, which caused at least 81 deaths. That episode led to the diversion of the Turia watercourse, which meant that a large part of the town was spared of these floods.
Valencia suffered two other major DANAs in the 1980s, one in 1982 with around 30 deaths, and another one five years later that broke rainfall records.
The flash floods also surpassed the flood that swept away a campsite along the Gallego river in Biescas, in the northeast, killing 87 people, in August 1996
Latest pictures from Valencia
00:00
Holly Evans
‘Cold drop’ and flood defences: What caused the devastating flash flooding in Spain?
Sunday 3 November 2024 23:00
Holly Evans
As emergency services continue their desperate search for those still missing in Spain, many are questioning what caused the devastating flash flooding which has killed at least 158 people.
Dubbed “the flood of the century”, rainfall on Tuesday saw wide swathes of southern and eastern Spain completely destroyed by torrents of muddy water.
With cars tumbling down streets in Valencia and village roads turned to rivers, the army was drafted in to assist in the ongoing rescue operation.
Read the full article here:
What happened on Tuesday and Wednesday?
Sunday 3 November 2024 22:00
Holly Evans
The storms concentrated over the Magro and Turia river basins and, in the Poyo riverbed, produced walls of water that overflowed riverbanks, catching people unaware as they went on with their daily lives on Tuesday evening and early Wednesday.
In the blink of an eye, the muddy water covered roads and railways, and entered houses and businesses in towns and villages on the southern outskirts of Valencia city. Drivers had to take shelter on car roofs, while residents took refuge on higher ground.
Spain’s national weather service said that in the hard-hit locality of Chiva, it rained more in eight hours than it had in the preceding 20 months, calling the deluge “extraordinary.” Other areas on the southern outskirts of Valencia city didn’t get rain before they were wiped out by the wall of water that overflowed the drainage canals.
When authorities sent alerts to mobile phones warning of the seriousness of the flooding and asking people to stay at home, many were already on the road, working or covered in water in low-lying areas or underground garages, which became death traps.
Anger directed at officials who struggled to respond to enormity of disaster
Sunday 3 November 2024 21:00
Holly Evans
More anger has been fueled by the inability of officials to respond quickly to the aftermath. Most of the cleanup of the layers and layers of mud and debris that has invaded countless homes has been done by residents and thousands of volunteers.
“We have lost everything!” someone shouted.
Shouts on Sunday included demands aimed at regional Valencia President Carlo Mazïn, whose administration is in charge of civil protection, to step down, as well as “Where is Pedro Sanchez?”
“I understand the indignation and of course I stayed to receive it,” Mazïn said on X. “It was my moral and political obligation. The attitude of the king this morning was exemplary.”
Crashing waves in a hilltop village, a night of terror from Spain's floods
Sunday 3 November 2024 20:20
Holly Evans
Irene Cuevas will never forget the sound of the waves crashing below her apartment’s balcony.
If only there had been a flash of lightning in the darkness to let her glimpse what sounded like a roaring sea.
“It was a constant fear because we didn’t have light to see by,” Cuevas told The Associated Press. “We could hear the roar of the waves, which was unbelievable. The street was completely flooded and we were hoping for some lightning so that we could at least see what situation we were in. It was all waves, currents everywhere.
“We have that sound of the waves burned in our memory.”
Read the full article here:
Are the royals popular in Spain?
Sunday 3 November 2024 19:50
Holly Evans
While far from awakening the passion that the British hold for their royals, Felipe and Letizia’s public events are usually greeted by crowds of fans.
The 56-year-old Felipe took the throne when his father, Juan Carlos, abdicated in 2014 after he was tarnished by self-made financial and personal scandals. Felipe immediately cut a new figure, renouncing his personal inheritance and increasing the financial transparency of his royal house. He and the 52-year-old Letizia, a former journalist, dedicate a significant part of their public agenda to cultural and scientific causes.
Visits to sites of national tragedies are also part of the royal duties for monarchs seen as a stabilizing force in a parliamentary monarchy restored following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.
But the public rage over the haphazard management of the crisis has been building. Felipe heard some jeers when he took part in a tribute to the dead of a deadly 2017 terror attack in Barcelona, but that was nothing comparable to Sunday’s reception.
Why did these massive flash floods happen?
Sunday 3 November 2024 19:20
Holly Evans
Scientists trying to explain what happened see two likely connections to human-caused climate change.
One is that warmer air holds and then dumps more rain. The other is possible changes in the jet stream - the river of air above land that moves weather systems across the globe - that spawn extreme weather.
Climate scientists and meteorologists said the immediate cause of the flooding is called a cut-off lower pressure storm system that migrated from an unusually wavy and stalled jet stream. That system simply parked over the region and poured rain.
This happens often enough that in Spain they call them Danas, the Spanish acronym for the system, meteorologists said.
Then there is the unusually high temperature of the Mediterranean Sea. It had its warmest surface temperature on record in mid-August, at 28.47C, said Carola Koenig of the Centre for Flood Risk and Resilience at Brunel University of London.
The extreme weather event came after Spain battled with prolonged droughts in 2022 and 2023. Experts say that drought and flood cycles are increasing with climate change.
How Spain’s ‘catastrophic’ floods led to over 200 deaths - explained through pictures
Sunday 3 November 2024 18:45
Holly Evans
At least 202 people are dead after Spain was struck by the worst floods in recent memory that submerged towns, toppled bridges and cut entire communities off from the outside world.
The deadly floods left cars piled up like toys in streets, swallowed homes, and covered entire neighbourhoods in sludge and debris.
Muddy rivers swept away everything in their path – roads, houses and key infrastructure.
Stuti Mishra reports:
Two bodyguards treated for injuries after mud-slinging incident
Sunday 3 November 2024 18:22
Holly Evans
Spanish media RTVE reported that the barrage aimed at the royals included a few rocks and other hard objects were tossed and that two bodyguards were treated for injuries.
As a result, King Felipe and Queen Letizia called off another stop on Sunday at a second hard-hit village, Chiva, about half an hour to the east of Valencia city.
The prime minister said recovery efforts will not be derailed by the incident.
“I want to express all my government’s solidarity and its acknowledgement of the anguish, suffering, uncertainty and the needs of the residents of Paiporta and the region of Valencia,” Mr Sanchez said, while adding that he believes the majority of people “reject the types of violence that unfortunately we saw today”.
The mud-slinging scene occurred as thousands more Spanish soldiers, national police officers, and Civil Guard gendarmes arrived, or are set to arrive, at the disaster sites.
Satellite images show extent of devastation
Sunday 3 November 2024 18:01
Alex Croft
How did the floods happen? The science
Sunday 3 November 2024 17:30
Alex Croft
Let’s take a look at the science behind one of Europe’s most deadly flood-related disasters of all time.
There are two likely connections to human-caused climate change, scientists say.
The first is that warmer air holds and then dumps more rain. The second comes down to possible changes to the jet stream - meaning the air above land which moves weather systems around the world - which cause extreme weather.
The immediate cause of the flooding was a cut-off lower pressure storm system which migrated from an unusually wavy and stalled jet stream, the Associated Press reported.
This means the rain system stopped above the region and unleashed a torrent of rain. This happens relatively often in Spain and is named DANA - the acronym for the system in Spanish.
There was also unusually high temperature of the Mediterranean Sea. In mid-August, it recorded its warmest ever surface temperature of 28.47C, according to Carola Koenig of the Centre for Flood Risk and Resilience at Brunel University of London.
In pictures: Angry protestors on the streets of Paiporta, Valencia
Sunday 3 November 2024 16:59
Alex Croft
Watch: Moment King Felipe dodges mud as angry protests break out in visit to flood-hit area
Sunday 3 November 2024 16:31
Alex Croft
Horse rescued from gushing floodwater in stunning footage
Sunday 3 November 2024 16:06
Alex Croft
Stunning footage appears to show the moment a horse was being swept away by the flooding on Wednesday - before it escaped the tide and was assisted out of the water by rescue workers.
The horse managed to keep its head above the water but appeared helpless as it was carried away by the tide. Although horses generally can swim, the flood water appeared to be moving too quickly.
But as it passed under the bridge where the rescue workers were stationed, it floated into a part of the river where the current was less strong.
The horse began swimming to words the workers, who were shouting “vamos” - meaning “let’s go” or “come on” - as they encouraged it towards them.
Pictures appear to show the horse was afterwards rescued from the water.
There have been many amazing animal rescues during the floods in Spain.
— PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE (@Protect_Wldlife) October 31, 2024
The rescue of this horse was one of the hardest for the rescuers.
Thank you . pic.twitter.com/p0yuobaFxh
Cars and furniture lay piled up in mud as Spain reels from deadly floods
Sunday 3 November 2024 15:34
Alex Croft
Cars, furniture, and white goods lay piled up in mud on the streets of Alfafar, Spain, on Saturday, 2 November as the country reeled from catastrophic flooding.
At least 205 people have died in the extreme weather conditions as fresh weather warnings for rain prompt fears of further flooding.
Around 202 of those killed were in the hardest-hit region of Valencia alone.
The death toll rose significantly on Friday as rescue workers continued to search for missing people.
Those impacted the worst by the flash flooding in eastern Spain are expecting more rain, as yellow and amber weather warnings remain in place.
In pictures: Queen Letizia appears tearful as she meets grieving residents
Sunday 3 November 2024 15:02
Alex Croft
‘We don’t have any water’: More on royals’ interaction with protestors
Sunday 3 November 2024 14:43
Alex Croft
King Felipe and Queen Letizia walked into a crowd of angry protestors as they looked to speak with victims of the flood.
“Get out! Get out!” and “Killers!” were among the many insults shouted at them.
Bodyguards opened up their umbrellas to protect the royals and officials from the mud raining down on them after being slung by grieving protestors.
King Felipe, with flecks of mud on his face, appeared to remain calm as he made efforts to speak with individual residents.
It is an unprecedented incident for the King of Spain to be embedded within an furious crowd, who aired their grievances at what they believe was a slow and failed emergency response from Spanish authorities.
Queen Letizia also spoke to residents within the crowd. “We don’t have any water,” one woman told her.
After around half an hour, the monarchs got in official cars and left with a mounted police escort. One woman hit an official car with an umbrella before it sped off.
Police step in on horseback as prime minister withdraws
Sunday 3 November 2024 14:23
Alex Croft
Prime minister Pedro Sanchez was evacuated from the scene of protests in Paiporta as police on horseback attempted to manage the crowd.
But King Felipe and his entourage stayed to speak with angry locals, despite having to initially withdraw from the scene of protest.
Police on horses attempted to get the crowd under control, some wielding shovels and poles.
Watch: Full coverage of King Felipe’s visit to Valencia on Sunday
Sunday 3 November 2024 14:06
Alex Croft
Watch the full coverage of King Felipe’s interaction with a furious crowd in Valencia earlier today.
The crowd gathered before King Felipe’s arrival around 23 minutes into the coverage. The crowd starts shouting at the King who, surrounded by his security entourage, goes to speak with them.
Pictured: Protestors slings mud at King Felipe
Sunday 3 November 2024 13:51
Alex Croft
A protestor slung a piece of mud at King Felipe amid major protests in the Paiporta region of Valencia - where 60 of the 217 flood victims died.
The mud was intercepted by one of King Felipe’s security team.
King embraces man ‘crying on his shoulder'
Sunday 3 November 2024 13:40
Alex Croft
Pictures have emerged of King Felipe embracing a man, who was reportedly crying on his shoulder.
The King was surrounded by hundreds of protestors angry at the slow warning and response to Tuesday and Wednesday’s devastating flooding.
‘Nobody did anything to avoid it’, King Felipe told by protestor
Sunday 3 November 2024 13:31
Alex Croft
Hundreds of people joined protests as King Felipe and prime mininster Pedro Sanchez visited the affected areas of the floods.
Local residents believe alerts from the authorities about the dangers of Tuesday’s storm and the possible flooding were slow. They are also angry about a perceived late response by the emergency services after the disaster.
“It was known and nobody did anything to avoid it,” one young man told the King.
Furious crowd shouts ‘murderer’ at King Felipe
Sunday 3 November 2024 13:04
Alex Croft
King Felipe of Spain has been met with chants of “murderer” as he visits the devastated areas of Valencia.
The King and his wife, Queen Letizia, visited Valencia with prime minister Pedro Sanchez, where they met local officials, emergency responders and civilians.
But dramatic footage no
