Sisters to fly to Spain after parents' flood death

Don and Terri Turner, originally from Staffordshire, were found dead after the flooding

Two sisters are preparing to make the “heartbreaking” trip to Spain to start the process of bringing home their parents, who died in the recent flooding.

Don Turner, 78, and his wife Terri, 74, were found dead in their car after flash flooding hit the Valencia region last week, killing at least 217 people.

The couple’s daughters, Ruth O’Loughlin and Renee Turner, from Burntwood, Staffordshire, were told their parents’ bodies were found not far from their home near Pedralba on Saturday.

The sisters will both fly out to Valencia from Stansted Airport on Saturday.

“It’s not like a trip that we used to make to see mum and dad to have dinner and watch films with them,” she said.

“We’re going over there because they’re not with us anymore and it’s going to be very heartbreaking for us.”

Ms Turner added: “It’s dread I think, that’s the only way I can put it.”

Ruth O’Loughlin and Renee Turner will fly to Spain to start the process of bringing their parents home

Ms O’Loughlin said they would meet the British Consulate after landing in Spain and would be taken to the police station, where they would formally identify their father.

Their mother has already been identified through her fingerprints, she added.

The pair will be there for one week initially, during which they will be staying at their parents’ house.

“We know mum and dad would have wanted to come home... the difficult thing will be looking through all their things, their bank details, pensions, everything like that – stuff we don’t want to do,” she said.

Ms O’Loughlin said they also wanted to find out exactly what happened to their parents.

“Your mind conjures up all sorts of nightmarish scenarios. In my mind they probably drowned but we haven’t had that confirmed. It’s just something we don’t want to think about” she added.

“We need to know so we’re not conjuring up all these scenarios and we just pray to God that they didn’t suffer because it would break our hearts more than they’re already broken.”

'Overwhelming'

They said the process had been made easier by the “amazing” support from the British Consulate, as well as from people in Spain, including a family who have agreed to take in their parents’ dogs.

Ms Turner said: “It’s absolutely overwhelming. It’s amazing how people rally together when things happen.

“People I don’t even really know have messaged me and sent their condolences. We’ve been honoured in that respect and so have mum and dad.”

They have also been driven by their pledge to raise money for the Naturaleza y Animales dog rescue charity, where their parents were volunteers.

Ms O'Loughlin said they intended to visit the charity when they were in Spain.

“That’s the one positive that’s coming out of this and it keeps us going because we know mum and dad would be absolutely over the moon that there was money for the dog rescue,” she said.

“If we can help, that’s what we want to do in honour of mum and dad.”