A British couple who went missing in Spain’s devastating flash floods were found dead in their car, their heartbroken family have revealed.
Terry and Don Turner, ages 74 and 78, had not been seen since torrential rain hit Valencia on Tuesday.
The couple’s daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, said today that her parents’ bodies were found in their car on Saturday.
Friends of the retired expats said Terry had told them they were “going out” to get gas on Tuesday, O’Loughlin said.
They later went to check the pensioners’ bungalow to see if they had managed to return home before the deadly floods hit.
“The friends had gone there because they hadn’t heard from mom and dad, the key was in the door, they could get into the property, the dogs were there and the car was gone, so they know mom and dad haven’t been there “. “he said last week.
British expatriate Terry Turner, 74, is among the victims of Tuesday’s floods in Valencia.
Don Turner, 78, had moved to Spain with his wife about 10 years ago.
View of the mud and debris, after the heavy rains that caused flooding, in the La Torre neighborhood of Valencia
Ms O’Loughlin previously told the bbc that his parents had moved to Spain about 10 years ago because “they had always wanted to live in the sun.”
They were popular in their community and had “lovely friends around them” but had been considering returning to the UK as they were growing up.
O’Loughlin said she last spoke to her mother on Monday, the day before the floods hit, and said she had been “complaining about the rain.”
‘She said they wanted to do work on the house so they could put it up for sale but it’s raining a lot.
“We talked about mom and dad coming here next year to spend some time with us and we just ended the call and I’m so glad I said ‘I love you’ and she said she loves me too.”
When news of the horrific flooding emerged the next day, O’Loughlin said she desperately tried to contact her mother and father, but never heard from them again.
The death of at least 217 people has been confirmed in the disaster, which constitutes the deadliest natural tragedy in memory in Spain.
Rescuers continue their grim search for cars and underground garages, where it is feared dozens more bodies could still be found.
Almost all of the deaths have occurred in the Valencia region, where thousands of security and emergency services frantically cleared debris and mud in search of bodies.
The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has said that it is the second deadliest flood in Europe this century.
His government and the Valencian regional government have faced anger over what many see as their mismanagement of the crisis.
The Kings of Spain also visited the region yesterday and encountered some angry survivors who shouted at them and threw mud at them. as they walked through the muddy streets of Paiporta, one of the most affected cities.
Queen Letizia could be seen with mud stains on her face, while one of the bodyguards escorting the royal had apparently been hit by an object as he had a cut on his forehead, causing blood to flow down his forehead. his face.
The crowd shouted “murderers” and other insults at royalty and government officials.
At one point, the crowd was so close that they were able to have full conversations with the King.
After a Valencian yelled at him, he responded: ‘If you want, I won’t come and I’ll stay in Madrid.’
Police had to intervene, with some officers on horseback to contain the crowd of several dozen.
A soldier works in an area affected by floods in Catarroja, Spain
Vehicles pile up in the streets caused by the storm late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday that left hundreds dead or missing in Alfafar, Valencia.
A view of the demolition work of a house damaged following flash floods in Letur, Albacete province, Spain
A crowd of angry survivors threw mud and shouted insults at King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, as well as government officials, as they made their first visit to one of the worst-affected cities on Sunday.
Angry residents of Paiporta shout during the visit of King Felipe VI of Spain to this city, in the Valencia region of eastern Spain, on November 3, 2024.
Queen Letizia could be seen with mud stains on her face
The storm and floods have left carnage in their wake, and a huge clean-up operation is now underway.
Floodwaters had already begun to fill Paiporta with crushing waves when regional officials issued an alert to mobile phones that rang two hours late on Tuesday.
And further anger has been fueled by officials’ inability to respond quickly afterward.
Most of the cleanup of the layers upon layers of mud and debris that has invaded countless homes has been carried out by residents and thousands of volunteers.