This is the moment a horrific flood swept through a holiday resort in Majorca after a heavy downpour claimed the life of a British hiker and left her partner missing.
Rescuers on the island recovered the body of the 26-year-old woman after spotting her backpack from the air while scouring the area in a helicopter early Wednesday.
The 32-year-old man, whose name has not been released, is believed to have been swept away by torrential rain which lashed the couple who were with friends on the hike on Tuesday night and rescuers have yet to find her boyfriend.
Video footage obtained exclusively by MailOnline shows a wave of foaming water cascading over the seafront Es Port restaurant at the mouth of the Pareis River, as staff frantically scramble to save tables and chairs.
One staff member said: ‘It was amazing, one minute there was bright sunshine and the next minute the sky turned black like it was night time and then it started raining really hard.
Water was observed running over properties on the island.
Police helicopter search team is scouring the area today for the missing British hiker
‘At this time of year the river is just a stream, but within an hour a huge wall of water came down the side of the mountain into the sea. It was like Niagara Falls, there was water falling everywhere.’
The man’s relatives were also part of a group of around 10 people who were affected by a heavy downpour while walking along a path next to the Torrent de Pareis, a river that runs through the Tramuntana area in the northwest of Mallorca.
An official said: “The British man and woman were a couple. They were here on holiday and were staying on the island. They also have relatives here with them and we are helping them as best we can.”
Civil Guard officers, mountain rescue teams and firefighters took part in the search, which began shortly after the storm devastated the area, turning dry riverbeds into raging torrents.
Officials at the search scene said the group was “not properly equipped” but did not elaborate, though one said: “We are tired of rescuing tourists from the area who go out only in flip-flops.”
A video obtained exclusively by MailOnline shows a wave of foaming water cascading down the Es Port seafront restaurant at the mouth of the Pareis River
Staff were seen frantically scrambling to save tables and chairs.
The two British hikers went missing during a storm and are believed to have been caught in heavy rain which caused severe flooding in parts of the island. Pictured: Guardia Civil at the scene in the Tramuntana mountain range
He added: “This is no walk in the park. It is a very difficult and technical hike and you need the right equipment and clothing.
‘Some of the group we rescued were soaked to the bone and suffering from hypothermia due to the bad weather.
‘If you are going to do this hike you must be prepared and the most important thing is that you must check the weather before leaving.’
Another person told MailOnline: ‘There was a larger group of people who set out on the walk and the two people joined them later.
‘They arrived on a scooter to meet their friends and the missing man’s brother was at the scene but has since left.
The area where the British hikers went missing was hit by flash floods (pictured above) on Tuesday.
Bad weather has affected Mallorca for much of this week
‘We found the woman this morning after the helicopter spotted her backpack from the air and we were able to recover her body, but the man is still missing.
‘The woman was found not far from the trail, but the search for the man is proving difficult due to weather conditions.’
Bad weather has hit Mallorca for much of this week and at one point the search had to be suspended for more than two hours after another storm passed through bringing torrential rain and strong winds.
Rescuers said the woman’s body had been found near the start of the hiking trail, but there were fears the man may have been swept out to sea.
A firefighter told MailOnline: “That’s a possibility, but we’re hoping that maybe they’re alive somewhere or if they’re dead the body is trapped by a rock or some other debris.”
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