Staffordshire girl’s grief after confirmation her parents died in floods in Spain

Terry, 74, and Don Turner, 78, were discovered in a sparsely populated area where they lived near the small town of Pedralba, a 45-minute drive northwest of Valencia.

The couple’s daughter, Ruth O’Loughlin, of Burntwood, confirmed her parents’ bodies were found in their car on Saturday, November 2.

Ms O’Loughlin said her parents moved to Spain about a decade ago because “they always wanted to live in the sunshine”.

He said he was told the couple were missing on Thursday, October 31, after friends checked on them and found their pet at home.

“The last time I spoke to my mother was the day before the flood, we had a nice chat, but the day we received the news of the flood, I could not reach either her or my father.

“We hoped they were still alive and perhaps sheltered somewhere but then we received the devastating news over the weekend and we are trying to come to terms with it.

“The last time I talked to my mom, we talked about them coming 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 loved me too.”

He said his parents were enjoying their lives in Spain, where his father loved the sun and his mother volunteered at a dog rescue centre.

He added: “They were together. They had great friends there and we were relieved to know they were making friends wherever they went.”

Emergency workers in Valencia continue to search underground parking lots and tunnels in hopes of finding survivors.