Dorset Couple Describes Near-Death Ordeal in Valencia Floods

A woman has recounted a “brush with death” she and her husband experienced after their vehicle became trapped in flash flooding on a motorway in Valencia. Karen and Steve Loftus, residents of Dorset, were returning from a visit with their daughter in the Netherlands when traffic halted, and their car began to fill with water. Mrs. Loftus stated that their survival was contingent on their timely decision to exit the car, along with assistance from a Moroccan lorry driver. The 62-year-old expressed, “There was moments where I thought ‘we could die here’.” Authorities in Valencia have reported that severe flooding across Spain has resulted in over 150 fatalities within the region. Upon the cessation of traffic, a “torrent” of water was observed flowing from the surrounding fields. Mrs. Loftus mentioned that her husband lowered the windows before the vehicle’s engine ceased functioning. She explained that they exited the car once it began to float and the water level reached her chest. Subsequently, they witnessed another car collide with theirs, coming to rest on top of it, submerged up to its roof in water. “If we hadn’t have got out of the car when we did, literally two minutes later, we would not have been able to get out… it was really, really scary,” she stated. The central reservation of the road was elevated, prompting Mrs. Loftus to describe their movement towards it as “walked-swam.” She recalled, “Some Spanish guys were at the top, they dragged us up over the wall.” Following this, they proceeded through the water and “banged on the side” of a lorry. She detailed that the driver, identified as Fadil, allowed them inside, providing them with towels and chocolate biscuits. He navigated through 5ft of water, which caused the lorry’s lights to fail, and then transported them to a hostel. “He’s such a hero,” Mrs. Loftus remarked. She added, “I don’t know what we would have done without that man.” The couple successfully reached Valencia on Wednesday. “It’s like a warzone,” Mrs. Loftus commented. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” They sustained the loss of all their personal belongings and their car, yet Mrs. Loftus conveyed a feeling of being “lucky.” “I do keep getting flashbacks and [getting] emotional but I just keep feeling grateful,” she said. “We were in the wrong place at the wrong time… but it wasn’t our time to go.” They remain stranded in Valencia due to numerous road closures, where abandoned vehicles are “stacked” on top of each other. She outlined their intention to “hunker down” for several days and endeavor to replace some of their lost possessions. “[And we’ll join] with the rest of the Spanish nation in mourning,” she affirmed. “We will be mourning the poor people who did not survive.”