British Couple Found Deceased Following Spain Floods

The family of a British couple, Don Turner, 78, and his wife, Terri, 74, has confirmed to the BBC that they were discovered deceased in their vehicle days following flash floods in Spain. The couple had been missing since severe rainfall affected Valencia on Tuesday. Ruth O’Loughlin, their daughter, residing in Burntwood, Staffordshire, verified that her parents’ remains were located on Saturday. “We held out hope that they were still alive and maybe sheltering somewhere,” she told the BBC. Terri, her mother, had informed friends that they were “popping out” to get some gas. Ms O’Loughlin, visibly emotional, informed BBC Radio WM that she learned of the death of her parents, who resided near Pedralba, after receiving a message from their friends requesting a call. “He said ‘Ruth, get your husband’, I called my husband in and he just said ‘Martin, hold your wife’, and said that they’d been found and they’d been found in their car.” “We still don’t know exactly what happened to them. The only thing we’ve got from this is that they were together. It’s not the way you want your parents to go.” This incident marks Spain’s most severe flooding catastrophe in generations, with 217 fatalities reported and rescue personnel actively working to locate survivors. Renee Turner, her sister, stated that she had last communicated with her father on Monday, and he had indicated he would message her the next day, but she did not receive any communication. “Sometimes that’s not unusual, we can go a day or so without messaging every five minutes,” she explained. Upon observing the flooding reported in the news, she sent a message to her father inquiring about their well-being, but no reply was received. During an emotional interview, Ms Turner further expressed that she was “extremely angry” with the Spanish authorities and the local government. “Not just our parents, so many people have died in this tragedy, and it is absolutely tragic. “It should not have happened, not at all.” Recalling her upbringing in a cul-de-sac in Burntwood, Ms O’Loughlin mentioned that everyone in the vicinity was acquainted with her parents. “Everyone would know when my mum Terri was cooking – ‘Terri is making cookies let’s go round Ruth and Renee’s house’,” she said. She additionally characterized Mr Turner as a “proper dad” during her and her sister’s childhood. “We’d both get up really early with him, sit on each arm of his armchair, ‘tell us a story dad, tell us a story about growing up’,” Ms O’Loughlin added. Ms O’Loughlin had previously stated that her parents relocated to Spain from Burntwood approximately 10 years prior, as they “always wanted to live in the sunshine.” “They were together. They had great friends there,” she said. “We got comfort in knowing that they made friends everywhere they went.” She reported being informed of the couple’s disappearance on Thursday, following friends’ welfare check where their pets were found at home. Mr and Mrs Turner, both retirees, resided in a bungalow accompanied by their dogs. Ms O’Loughlin stated that her last conversation with her mother occurred the day preceding the floods, during which they “had a good chat,” but she was unable to contact either of her parents after becoming aware of the flooding. “We talked about mum and dad coming over here next year to spend some time with us and we just ended the call and I’m really glad I said ‘I love you’ and she said she loves me too,” Ms O’Loughlin said. She further mentioned that the couple had been in communication with the British Consulate and intended to travel to Valencia once it was deemed safe. “I’ve got to give DNA so my parents can be identified,” she said. A representative for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed that personnel were providing assistance to the family and maintaining communication with the local authorities. The inundation commenced on Tuesday, subsequent to a period of heavy precipitation in the area. Additionally, the floods resulted in the death of another individual from the UK, a 71-year-old man, who passed away hours after being saved from his residence on the periphery of Málaga, following heavy rainfall and hailstorms that initiated flash floods in the locality. The man, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, was transported to the hospital but succumbed on Wednesday after experiencing “several cardiac arrests.” Emergency services personnel in Valencia persist in their search efforts through subterranean garages, parking facilities, and tunnels, with the aim of locating survivors or retrieving bodies. Rescue teams are also conducting searches in a flooded multi-storey car park in Aldaia, though no bodies have been discovered there thus far. Public discontent has arisen concerning a perceived absence of warning and inadequate assistance from Spanish authorities in the aftermath of the floods. On Sunday, the king and queen of Spain encountered angry protesters who threw mud at them as they traversed the flood-affected town of Paiporta; objects were also directed at Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) has issued a red alert for torrential rain for a section of the Catalonia region, with Barcelona experiencing inundation on Monday morning. For updates, follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X, and Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.