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Majorca flash flood kills at least 10 on Spanish island | Majorca flash flood kills at least 10 on Spanish island |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A flash flood on the Spanish island of Majorca has killed at least 10 people, including at least three foreigners. | |
A wave of muddy water engulfed the town of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, in the east of the island, after heavy rain caused a river to burst its banks. | |
Vehicles were swept away as water gushed through narrow streets. | Vehicles were swept away as water gushed through narrow streets. |
Hundreds of emergency workers and sniffer dogs are involved in the search-and-rescue effort. A five-year-old child is missing. | |
Who are the victims? | Who are the victims? |
The dead include six Spanish nationals, a Dutch tourist, a British couple and one unidentified victim. | |
Worst affected was the town of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar, where cars were swept away. The British couple was travelling in a taxi there when it was caught in the flood. The driver was among the victims. | |
A woman who had been in her car with her two young children also died. As the waters rose, she managed to get her eight-year-old daughter to safety, but she was unable to save her son aged five, who is still missing. | |
One survivor told the local Diario de Mallorca website that he had had to climb out of his car window to get to safety. "I swam 500m [1,650 ft] through the torrent until I got to a house," said Manuel Torrescusa. | |
Three other victims died in the coastal town of S'illot. | Three other victims died in the coastal town of S'illot. |
The UK's Foreign Office said it was "urgently seeking updates" from Spanish authorities following news of the British couple. | The UK's Foreign Office said it was "urgently seeking updates" from Spanish authorities following news of the British couple. |
The area was hit with more than 8in (20cm) of rainfall in just a few hours on Tuesday, according to Spanish meteorological agency Aemet. | The area was hit with more than 8in (20cm) of rainfall in just a few hours on Tuesday, according to Spanish meteorological agency Aemet. |
A senior official from the Sant Llorenç mayor's office described the situation as a "disaster". One Aemet official said such intense conditions of torrential and localised rain occurred only every 80 years. | |
A bridge came down further north on the island in Artà, where an ex-mayor of the town was killed by the flooding. | A bridge came down further north on the island in Artà, where an ex-mayor of the town was killed by the flooding. |
What efforts are being made to help people? | What efforts are being made to help people? |
Refuges were set up in a local sports centre to provide shelter for displaced residents. | Refuges were set up in a local sports centre to provide shelter for displaced residents. |
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited the area on Wednesday, and the Spanish parliament in Madrid held a minute's silence. | |
Torrential rain hit other areas of Spain too, with Catalonia in the north-east and Málaga in the south among the areas badly hit. | Torrential rain hit other areas of Spain too, with Catalonia in the north-east and Málaga in the south among the areas badly hit. |
Are you in the area? If it is safe to do so please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. | Are you in the area? If it is safe to do so please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. |
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: | Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways: |
Or use the form below | Or use the form below |