MADRID (AP) — Spanish rescuers have found the bodies of a German couple who went missing after flash flooding on the island of Mallorca, bringing the confirmed death toll to 12. A young child is still missing.
The Germans' last communication was a call to a friend on Tuesday evening saying they were caught in a vehicle, according to Sabine Lammers, the German Consul in the island's capital, Palma de Mallorca, who spoke on Cadena SER radio on Thursday.
The emergency service in Spain's Balearic Islands said the bodies of the man and the woman were found near the town of Arta, one of the hardest-hit by a four-hour downpour that saw up to 23 centimetres (9 inches) of water fall in some areas.
A creek that is usually dry overflowed as a result of the rainfall, sending a river of water and mud through the town of Sant Llorenc de Cardassar, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) east of Palma de Mallorca.
At least four people died in Sant Llorenc.
The Civil Guard said that the body of the missing 5-year-old boy's mother was found Wednesday. She reportedly managed to bring her 7-year-old daughter out of their car, but she and her son were dragged away.
On Thursday, around 800 people participating in the clean-up and rescue operations were still looking for the boy.
The confirmed victims are the German couple, a British couple, an 80-year-old Dutch woman and six Spanish citizens, according to the regional emergency service. One victim's identity has yet to be confirmed.
The Spanish government has taken the first steps to declaring the area a "zone of catastrophe," which will unlock funds for recovery, reconstruction and compensation of victims.
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