Death toll rises to 13 in Majorca floods
The death toll from flash floods that hit Spain's holiday island of Majorca last week rose to 13 on Wednesday after the body of a missing five-year-old boy was discovered. The "body of little Arthur", Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez wrote on Twitter, was found after more than a week of intensive searches in Sant Llorenc des Cardassar, one of the worst-hit towns. The boy had been in a car with his mother and sister when they were hit by surging water after intense rain caused riverbeds to overflow on October 9. His sister survived, reportedly helped to safety by their mother, who died. The boy's body was discovered not far from where his mother was found, according to the Balearic Prefecture. In total the floods left thirteen dead, including an elderly British couple, their Spanish taxi driver and a holidaying German journalist. A funeral for the victims is scheduled to take place in the nearby town of Manacor on Wednesday at 1900 (1700 GMT) in the presence of King Felipe VI and his wife Letizia. The floods in Majorca were followed by other deadly storms in southwest France, which dumped the equivalent of three months rainfall overnight Sunday to Monday in the region of the fortress city of Carcassonne. At least 14 people died and one remained missing, local authorities said Wednesday, updating the toll.
