The neighbour of a man whose two sons died during devastating floods in eastern Spain has told of how he held them in his arms before they were swept away.
Izan, 5, and Rubén Matias, 3, died as a result of flooding caused by torrential rain in Valencia.
They had been waiting at home for their mother to arrive home from work at a supermarket when their house was struck by a huge wall of water.
More than 220 people died after torrential rains on October 29 caused flash floods that surged through suburbs south of the city, sweeping away cars and bridges and flooding properties and underground car parks.
Around 78 people remained missing as of Friday evening, although the government believes some of them could match some of the 48 bodies still to be identified.
Jonathan Perez, the family’s next door neighbour, described how the Matias’ family home had been damaged after trucks parked next to the house were swept into the property by the floods, with one smashing through an external wall.
He told the BBC that the boys’ father Victor held them in his arms before they were swept away.
“The father told us that there was a truck that hit the back of the house and the force of the water tore away everything.
“Victor regained his footing and carried the boys in his arms. But then he realised he no longer had them. The water took everything in its path.”
Mr Perez said that the location of the house next to a lorry park had contributed to the devastation.
The boy’s father was swept 200m downstream and only survived by clinging onto a branch, before being rescued hours later.
Barbara Sastre, the children's aunt, told The Times: “Everything that was forced down the ravine - cars, trees and a container - hit the bedroom outer wall with a great crash.
“We are destroyed. They are so young and so many days have now passed.”
Experts have said successive failures to conduct flood mitigation work on nearby rivers, build better protected houses on flood plains, educate people and warn residents quickly have added to the fatalities.
