The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
British nationals among nine dead in Majorca floods
UK pair, believed to be a couple, were apparently in a taxi when caught out by the flash flood on Tuesday evening
Two British nationals are among the victims of a devastating flood that hit the popular tourist island of Majorca overnight.
At least nine people are believed to have died when torrential rainstorms deluged the town of Sant Llorenc, about 40 miles east of the capital Palma, on Tuesday evening.
The Foreign Office said it was supporting the families of two British people killed in the floods.
The deputy mayor of the town, Antonia Bauza, confirmed to Cadena SER radio two others killed in the area were locals. An elderly woman’s body was found in the basement of her house.
Two further victims died in the town of S’illot, authorities said.
The Foreign Office said its staff “remain in contact” with their Spanish counterparts about the fate of any British people stranded in the area.
The two British victims, believed to be a couple, were reportedly in a taxi when they were caught in a flash flood.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are supporting the family of two British people following their deaths in Spain, and will do all we can to assist them at this deeply difficult time.
“Our staff remain in contact with the Spanish authorities who are responsible for responding to the floods, and are ready to assist any other British people who require our help.”
Witnesses said a dry creek overflowed, creating a strong current of water and mud that buried cars and tore down trees.
“It all happened in less than 10 minutes,” a witness told Spanish TV. “We had to swim to try to survive.”
Authorities said 80 soldiers and seven vehicles from the military’s emergency unit joined more than 100 rescuers who had been working in the area overnight.
At least three towns closed schools and hundreds of people were given shelter in sport facilities.
The flooding also affected phone communications and forced the closure of at least seven major roads.
Some parts of the island received up to 9in (23cm) of rainfall in around four hours on Tuesday evening.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called news of the flooding “devastating”.
It all happened in less than 10 minutes. We had to swim to try to survive