Father's grief over flood deaths

Lauren (right) died after torrential rain hit the Valencia region

A British man who lost his wife and one of his twin daughters in flash floods in Spain has spoken about the tragedy.

Mark Cullen said Lorraine, 47, and Lauren, 14, died trying to cross a ravine with fellow twin Samantha and the girls' Spanish friend Gemma.

He said the swollen river was only up to their knees but "one of them slipped and the others came crashing down".

Samantha grabbed hold of a tree and pulled Gemma to safety but "Lorraine and Lauren were gone", he added.

The incident happened as the group attempted to walk across the ravine to their holiday home in L'Olleria, in the Valencia region, on Thursday evening.

Their bodies were found early on Friday morning, just over a mile downriver.

Mr Cullen, 49, from Brighton, said his wife had picked up Samantha from town but when they were driving back home, water - from the River Clariano - had risen over a bridge.

The couple had been married for 25 years

"It was only up to their knees, but one of them slipped and the others came crashing down. It carried them across the edge.

"My daughter Sam is quite strong and managed to grab hold of a tree and climb up."

Mr Cullen flew out to Valencia with his sons Daniel, 22, and Darren, 19, to be with his surviving daughter as she was treated at a local hospital.

"When I saw Sam, she was absolutely covered in bruises," he said.

"Nothing is broken but her body's a mess, I've never seen anything like it."

He spoke of his grief and said he and his wife had just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

"My priority is to see my wife and daughter and bring them back home. That's all I can do."

The Foreign Office is providing assistance.

Torrential rain over the past few days has left several rivers in eastern Spain running dangerously high and closed the ports of Valencia, Gandia and Sagunto.

It has also blocked roads and railway lines.

In southern Spain, ferry links to the Moroccan port of Tangier and Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta were suspended because of storms.

The severe weather is set to continue.

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